Differences of ventilatory muscle recruitment and work of breathing in COPD and interstitial lung disease during...

COPD and interstitial lung disease (ILD) are significant chronic respiratory disorders, impacting quality of life. Respiratory muscle roles and differences remain not entirely clear. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the degree of recruitment of the respiratory muscles and the work of breathing in COPD and ILD during exercise.

We compared the sensory-mechanical relationships in COPD, ILD and healthy controls (n=20 each). They performed pulmonary function, noninvasive and invasive respiratory muscle strength, surface electromyography and work-of-breathing assessments.

COPD and ILD did not show lower static muscle strength compared to controls, but did show poor performance in the exercise test with increased transdiaphragmatic pressure (P _di). In ILD, there was a higher increase in oesophageal pressure and a lower gastric pressure (P _ga) on inspiration; in COPD, there was a significant increase in P _ga on inspiration. In ILD, there is greater recruitment of accessory inspiratory muscles, whereas in COPD, there is marked use of both inspiratory and expiratory muscles. The neuromechanical inefficiency (increased neural respiratory drive without the corresponding tidal volume) was found in both diseases. In COPD, there is a considerable increase in elastic work to overcome intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP_i) and expiratory work of breathing, whereas in ILD, non-PEEP_i elastic work of breathing is the highest part of the total work of breathing.

Early and increased activity of the respiratory muscles and work-of-breathing components significantly contribute to dyspnoea, exercise intolerance and neuromechanical inefficiency of ventilation in COPD and ILD. The mechanisms of P _di generation were different between diseases.