Comparison of balance, cognitive skills, hand functions and quality of life between elderly patients with bronchiectasis and healty peers

The aim of our study was to comparatively evaluate respiratory function, functional capacity, balance, cognitive skills, hand reaction time speed, hand grip strength and quality of life parameters in an experimental group of elderly individuals with bronchiectasis and a control group of their peers without chronic respiratory disease. In our study, 15 patients with bronchiectasis aged 65 years and older who were diagnosed with bronchiectasis in the Department of Chest Diseases, Bezmialem Vakıf University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, and 15 elderly individuals aged 65 years and older without chronic respiratory disease with similar criteria were included. Within the scope of our study; the experimental group was divided into two groups as 15 elderly individuals with bronchiectasis and the control group as 15 elderly individuals without chronic respiratory disease. Respiratory functions of all individuals ''Respiratory Function Test (PFT)'', functional capacity assessment was evaluated with ''30 Second Sit and Stand Test'', balance assessment was evaluated with ''Nintendo Wii Fit Plus Virtual Reality Device'', cognitive skills were evaluated with ''Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MOCA)'', reaction time was evaluated with ''12- Red Square Test'' in App-coo test application, hand grip strength measurement test was evaluated with dynamometer, quality of life was evaluated with ''Nottingham Health Profile''. In our study, it was observed that all demographic characteristics of the elderly individuals with bronchiectasis and the individuals in the control group were similar except for weight (p>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the elderly bronchiectasis group and the control group in terms of exercise habits and smoking status (p<0.05). Both measured and % predictive values of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1st second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC (%), peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements of pulmonary function test evaluated in all individuals were statistically significantly different for the two groups in favour of the control group (p<0.05). The score of the '30-Second Sit-Run Test', which was used to evaluate the functional capacity of individuals, was lower in the elderly bronchiectasis group, and a statistically significant difference was found between the elderly bronchiectasis group and the control group (p<0.05). The balance assessment results of the individuals were similar in terms of the level and time they did not complete the test (p>0.05). The ''Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale'' score, which was used to evaluate the cognitive skills of individuals, was lower in the elderly bronchiectasis group, and a statistically significant difference was found between the elderly bronchiectasis group and the control group (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the elderly bronchiectasis group and the control group in the hand reaction time and hand grip strength test parameters in which dominant- non-dominant hand functions were evaluated (p>0.05). The pain, emotional isolation, sleep, social isolation, physical activity and energy sub-section scores of the ''Nottingham Health Profile'' questionnaire, in which the quality of life of all individuals was evaluated, and the total scores of the two main sections were similar in the elderly bronchiectasis group and the control group, and the differences between the groups were not statistically significant (p>0.05). In conclusion, in our study, no significant difference was observed in the balance, hand reaction speed, hand grip strength and quality of life parameters of elderly individuals with bronchiectasis compared to the control group. In our study, functional capacity, cognitive skills and pulmonary function parameter values of elderly individuals with bronchiectasis were found to be lower compared to the control group, as expected, in accordance with the literature. Assessment of functional capacity and cognitive functions in elderly patients with bronchiectasis may provide additional input in treatment programmes aiming to improve the performance of elderly patients with bronchiectasis. Keywords: bronchiectasis, elderly, balance, cognitive ability, hand functions.