Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2011 , Vol 57 , Num 3

Clinical Use of Chest Expansion Corrected for Age and Sex in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis

Süleyman Savaş Hacıevliyagil 1 ,Tamer Baysal 2 ,Zeynep Ayfer Aytemur 1 ,Erdal Doğan 3 ,Bekir Durmuş 4 ,Zuhal Altay 3 ,Özlem Baysal 5 ,Yüksel Ersoy 3
1 İnönü Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Göğüs Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, Malatya, Türkiye
2 İnönü Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Radyoloji Anabilim Dalı, Malatya, Türkiye
3 İnönü Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Malatya, Türkiye
4 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Erenköy State Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
5 İnönü Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Malatya, Türkiye
DOI : 10.4274/tftr.30306

Ob jective: The aim of this study was to investigate if the chest expansion corrected by age and was appropriate for clinical practice or not and to evaluate the relation of chest expansion with pulmonary functions and disease severity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Metarials and Methods: Eighty-two patients with AS and 42 healthy controls were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to chest expansion corrected by age and restricted and non-restricted groups. Additional to the clinical evaluation, the Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI), and Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI) were used to evaluate disease activity, functional impairment, and mobility, respectively.

Results: Forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in the first second were significantly decreased in the restricted group when compared to the non-restricted and control groups. Pain, BASFI, and BASMI scores were significantly higher in the restricted group compared to the non-restricted one. Chest expansion was significantly correlated with clinical parameters and pulmonary function tests.

Conclusion: Chest expansion measurement corrected for age and is appropriate for clinical practice and chest expansion is associated with pulmonary functions and disease severity. 

Keywords : Chest expansion, ankylosing spondylitis, age, sex, pulmonary function test