Handgrip and Respiratory Dysfunction in HD Patients.

Hand Grip Strength As a Screening Tool for Respiratory Dysfunction in Huntington's Disease

Hereditary neurodegenerative diagnosis of Huntington's disease (HD) is associated with a progressive deterioration of the respiratory system function . This fact contributes strongly to the increased risk of aspiration pneumonia as a primary cause of death in people with HD. But regularly objective monitoring of the airway system condition is in common clinical practice almost impossible for high time requirements and the need for specialized expensive devices . This drives the need for a simpler and more cost-effective screening tool. In recent years published studies, working with all ages and genders, show correlation between hand grip strength (HGS) and respiratory parameters. As a second simple screening tool, we chose a short questionnaire called the Index of pulmonary dysfunction.

Goal: To identify a simple method for screening respiratory muscle and cough weakness in Huntington's Disease (HD) patients, suitable for clinical practice.

Hypothesis 1: Maximal inspiratory pressure, maximal expiratory pressure, and voluntary peak cough flow will be significantly correlated with maximal hand grip strength in HD patients.

Hypothesis 2: Maximal inspiratory pressure, maximal expiratory pressure, and voluntary peak cough flow will be significantly correlated with the Index of pulmonary dysfunction in HD patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Genetic confirmed diagnosis of Huntington's disease

Exclusion Criteria:

• diagnosis of other concomitant neurological diseases;
• a history of cardiovascular or lung disease;
• respiratory symptoms such as cough, phlegm, wheezing, or dyspnea at the time of assessment