Introduction: The maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure are indicators of muscle performance while inhaling and exhaling, and of the condition of the lungs and airways. The normal values differ with regard to gender, age and the overall medical condition of the test subject. Respiratory capacity can be monitored with non-invasive procedures, such as measuring the vital capacity, the maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure, and the maximal nasal inspiratory pressure. Purpose: The purpose of the research was to test the maximal inspiratory pressure, the maximal expiratory pressure, and the nasal inspiratory pressure in healthy test subjects between the ages of 20 and 79, and to assess the impact of gender and age on these values. Methods: The survey encompassed 84 healthy volunteers, i.e. 42 men and 42 women, between the ages of 20 and 79. They were sorted into age groups with a 10-year age span (20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79). Within an individual age group, 14 test subjects (7 men and 7 women) were tested. Results: The data were not always distributed normally, which is why subsequent analyses employed nonparametric data statistics (median, percentile, t-test, Mann-Whitney test, Spearman's correlation coefficient). The measurements have proved that men have statistically significantly higher values of the maximal inspiratory pressure, the maximal expiratory pressure, and the nasal inspiratory pressure compared to women. With age, the values of the maximal inspiratory, expiratory and nasal inspiratory pressure statistically significantly decreased in women and men alike. The men had higher respiratory values compared to women also in individual age groups, but those differences were not always statistically significantly different. Moreover, the medians of individual age groups did not always decrease with age. The measurements have proved that there are statistically significant differences in the maximal inspiratory pressure between men and women in the 20–29 and 70–79 let age groups, in the maximal expiratory pressure in the oldest age group (between 70 and 79), and in the nasal inspiratory pressure in the age group between 60 and 69 and between 70 and 79. Discussion and conclusion: The results show that men have stronger respiratory muscles than women and that with age the values of the maximal inspiratory pressure, the maximal expiratory pressure, and the nasal inspiratory pressure decrease. Due to the small number of test subjects, the differences between genders in individual age groups were not always statistically significantly different; moreover, the test subjects in the younger age groups did not always achieve higher values than those in the older groups. The survey should be expanded to include more test subjects who would be evenly represented also with regard to their overall physical activity, smoking, and occupation.
|
