Respiratory muscle weakness after stroke: An exploratory mediation analysis of associated factors
Measuring both airflow and diaphragm muscle in stroke survivors identifies specific weakness patterns, refining rehabilitation assessment tools.
In 49 chronic stroke patients, peak expiratory flow (48.4%) and diaphragm thickening fraction (14.2%) were identified as significant mediators of inspiratory muscle weakness, supporting combined spirometric and ultrasound assessment in stroke rehabilitation. The cross-sectional design and small sample limit causal inference.
What the study was
- Study design
- Cross-sectional with mediation analysis
- Population
- Chronic stroke patients (n=49) vs healthy controls (n=53), Spain
- Sample size
- 102
- Category
- Public Health
- Maturity
- Exploratory
- Journal
- Respiratory Medicine
Why it surfaced
Marginally relevant to aging watchlist via stroke rehabilitation; limited novelty; small sample; tangential to core pipeline focus.
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