Abstract
Introduction: It is unclear how exactly sarcopenia affects pulmonary function.
The aim of the conducted research was to examine whether the level of skeletal muscle mass development differentiates ventila-tory function in older women living in nursing homes in Poland.
Materials and methods: Forty-four women, aged 73 ±3, were divided into 2 groups: with less total muscle mass (group 1, n = 21) and with higher total muscle mass (group 2, n = 23) content of body muscle tissue. It was assumed that the subjects were not underweight or obese. They were non-obese, non-smokers, and with no overt diseases other than sarcopenia. The assessment of pulmonary function was based on spirometry. The following variables were evaluated: BMI, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC.
Results : Women with normal muscle mass content enjoyed significantly higher mean levels of the following variables: FVC p < 0.0001, FEV1 p < 0.0001, FEV1/FVC p = 0.009.
Conclusions: It seems likely that the decrease in muscle mass of old age may substantially impact the ventilatory function in women.