{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T13:17:24Z","timestamp":1789737444924,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,25]],"date-time":"2022-11-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1669334400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Progressive, irreversible muscle weakness is the leading symptom of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), often resulting in death from respiratory muscle failure. Little is known about the relationship between the functioning of the respiratory system and the hand grip\u2014a function which remains long preserved. This study aimed to investigate the interdependence between muscle strength and the function of both hand grip and the respiratory system in patients with DMD. Materials and Method: The study included cohort patients, aged 6\u201317, with DMD, recruited from the Rare Disease Centre, Gdansk, Poland. Clinical status (Vignos scale, Brook scale), pulmonary function (respiratory muscle strength\u2014MIP, MEP); spirometry (FEV1; FVC), as well as upper limb function (performance of the upper limb\u2014PUL 2.0) and hand grip strength (HGS) (hand-held dynamometer) were evaluated in all participants. Results: Finally, 53 boys (mean age 11.41 \u00b1 3.70 years, 25 non-ambulant) were included. Each of the participants presented a lower %pv of MIP (48.11 \u00b1 27), MEP (38.11 \u00b1 22), PUL (75.64 \u00b1 27), and HGS (33.28 \u00b1 18). There were differences between the ambulatory and non-ambulatory groups in values of MIP, MEP, FVC, PUL, HGS (p &lt; 0.001 for all), and FEV1 (p &lt; 0.013). There were correlations between PUL, HGS, and MIP (R = 0.56; R = 0.61, p &lt; 0.001 both), MEP (R = 0.59; R = 0.62, p &lt; 0.001), FVC (R = 0.77; R = 0.77, p &lt; 0.001), and FEV1 (R = 0.77; R = 0.79; p &lt; 0.001). These correlations were found for all participants, but non-ambulatory patients presented stronger relationships. Conclusions: 1. The pulmonary and upper limb functions were within the normal range in ambulatory and low in non-ambulatory patients with DMD, but the muscle strength of both systems was low, regardless of the stage of the disease. 2. There seems to be an interdependence between the respiratory system and upper limb strength in terms of muscle strength and function in DMD patients, which is stronger in non-ambulatory patients. This may be the basis for the creation of a new personalized plan in rehabilitation\u2014the simultaneous rehabilitation of the respiratory and upper limb muscles. Further studies on this theory should be conducted.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph192315675","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,30]],"date-time":"2022-11-30T04:58:50Z","timestamp":1669784330000},"page":"15675","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["The Association between the Respiratory System and Upper Limb Strength in Males with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A New Field for Intervention?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3269-0646","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agnieszka","family":"Sobierajska-Rek","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences with the Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-219 Gda\u0144sk, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5288-0586","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eliza","family":"Wasilewska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pulmonology and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-211 Gda\u0144sk, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6565-4572","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karolina","family":"\u015aledzi\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal and Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences with the Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-211 Gda\u0144sk, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joanna","family":"Jab\u0142o\u0144ska-Brud\u0142o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences with the Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-219 Gda\u0144sk, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sylwia","family":"Ma\u0142gorzewicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences with the Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-416 Gda\u0144sk, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9908-6921","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrzej","family":"Wasilewski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Scientific Association at Department of Physical Education and Sport, Wroclaw Medical University, 51-601 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dominika","family":"Szalewska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences with the Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-219 Gda\u0144sk, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"251","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-4422(18)30024-3","article-title":"Diagnosis and management of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, part 1: Diagnosis, and neuromuscular, rehabilitation, endocrine, and gastrointestinal and nutritional management","volume":"17","author":"Birnkrant","year":"2018","journal-title":"Lancet Neurol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wasilewska, E., Ma\u0142gorzewicz, S., Meyer-Szary, J., Sledzinska, K., Niedoszytko, M.B., Jassem, E., and Wierzba, J. 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