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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

A Protocol for Comprehensive Assessment of Bulbar Dysfunction in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Published on: February 21, 2011
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: combined nutritional, respiratory and functional assessment
Luciano Bruno de Carvalho Silva1, Lucia Figueiredo Mourão, Ariovaldo Armando Silva
1Food and Nutrition Department, Center for Food Security Studies, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil. luciano@unifal-mg.edu.br
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.
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