Background characteristics of the study participants (n=40)
| Healthy (n=20) | ALS (n=20) | ALS without bulbar symptoms (n=6) | ALS with bulbar symptoms (n=14) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male/female ratio | 13/7 | 13/7 | 6/0 | 7/7 |
| Age, years | 66.9 (7.2) | 68.7 (9.3) | 65.8 (9.2) | 69.9 (9.4) |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 23.9 (2.4) | 23.6 (4.3) | 23.5 (1.8) | 23.6 (5.1) |
| FVC, % pred | 113.6 (16.0) | 67.4 (22.1) | 73.5 (18.8) | 64.5 (23.7) |
| FEV1, % pred | 107.4 (19.0) | 70.6 (25.7) | 76.0 (22.0) | 68.1 (27.7) |
| SVC, L | 4.15 (1.3) | 2.92 (1.0) | 3.6 (0.7) | 2.6 (1.0) |
| SVC, % pred | 110.6 (20.1) | 76.1 (22.5) | 78.7 (12.9) | 75.0 (26.2) |
| PCF, L/min | 484.5 (130.2) | 266.8 (145.8) | 340.8 (198.6) | 232.6 (108.4) |
| Pimax, cm H2O | 95.2 (23.6) | 43.3 (20.9) | 54.2 (18.9) | 38.6 (20.5) |
| Pimax, % pred | 111.3 (24.9) | 52.9 (23.7) | 58.3 (20.6) | 50.6 (25.2) |
| Pemax, cm H2O | 140.8 (37.9) | 50.4 (30.0) | 80.2 (32.1) | 37.6 (18.3) |
| Pemax, % pred | 140.1 (34.3) | 49.4 (24.8) | 68.2 (30.3) | 41.3 (17.6) |
| SNIP, cm H2O | 91.2 (33.7) | 38.6 (17.9) | 47.7 (22.2) | 33.6 (13.8) |
| SNIP, % pred | 99.1 (34.6) | 42.6 (19.0) | 48.1 (22.9) | 39.7 (16.9) |
| WST, mL/s | 31.50 (7.7) | 12.3 (11.4) | 25.8 (7.6) | 5.5 (4.9) |
| ALSFRS-r | – | 36.7 (8.4) | 39.0 (7.5) | 35.6 (8.9) |
| BIS | – | 6.0 (2.3) | 8.0 (0) | 5.0 (2.3) |
Figures are group means with SDs.
ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; ALS Functional Rating Scale-revised; BIS, bulbar impairment scale; BMI, body mass index; PCF, peak cough flow; Pemax, maximal expiratory mouth pressure; Pimax, maximal inspiratory mouth pressure; SNIP, sniff nasal inspiratory pressure; SVC, slow vital capacity; WST, water swallow test.