Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: combined nutritional, respiratory and functional assessment

OBJECTIVE: To establish correlations between nutritional, functional and respiratory indices of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHOD: Twenty patients (13 appendicular-GA and 7 bulbar-GB) were included in the multidisciplinary study at the Neurological Clinic Ambulatory of the University of Campinas Hospital. RESULTS: Among the GA type significant correlation was observed between maximal inspiratory (MIP) and expiratory (MEP) pressure (r=-0.76), MEP and pulse oxymetry (r=0.58), MIP and percent weight loss (%WL; r=0.59), and between MIP, total and subscale respiratory scores (ALSFRS-R) with %WL. With regard to the GB, correlation was found between MEP and body mass index (BMI) (r=0.97). In both GA and GB correlations were noticed between the BMI and the variables mass (kg), fat (%), arm and wrist circumference (cm), and tricipital, subscapular and supra-iliac skinfolds (mm), as well as the arm muscle circumference (cm) and fatty arm muscular area (mm2). CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the application of simple anthropometric measurements could be useful in routine monitoring of patients with ALS.