Association between posture, balance, body composition, quality of life and pulmonary function in asthma

Abstract

Introduction: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by bronchial hyperresponsiveness, reversible spontaneously or with treatment. Although widely studied, little is known about postural, functional capacity, quality of life, and body balance changes. Objectives: To assess the association between pulmonary function, postural balance, functional capacity, body composition and posture in adult patients with asthma and, secondarily, to compare posture, balance, functional capacity and quality of life according to asthma severity. Methods: Three studies were conducted with samples of 26, 34 and 50 patients. Assessments included: postural analysis (photogrammetry), pulmonary function (spirometry, plethysmography, DLCO, respiratory muscle strength), stabilometry, Berg scale, 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and bioelectrical impedance. Additionally, the AQLQ was applied. Results: In the first study, FEV1 was negatively correlated with medio-lateral displacement, and SGva with mean velocity. BMI was associated with displacement and anteroposterior sway. In the second study, head alignment correlated with FEV1/FVC, TLC and RV. Muscle strength and airway obstruction indicators correlated with postural measurements. In the third study, dividing patients by median FEV1, those with lower pulmonary function showed worse performance on functional parameters. Conclusion: Asthmatic patients exhibit postural, balance and quality of life changes related to disease severity and body composition.