Respiratory muscle strength in older adults.

Gender-related effects and two measures of muscularity, handgrip strength and fat-free mass (FFM), were examined to determine their relationship to respiratory muscle strength. Subjects were 101 healthy older adults. In 75 subjects, the magnitude of learning effect was examined over four weekly sessions. Maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax) was lower with increasing age in women, and maximal expiratory pressure (PEmax) was lower with increasing age in both genders. The PEmax correlated with handgrip strength and FFM in men only. Performance of PImax plateaued by the third visit in both men and women. Performance of PEmax plateaued by the third measure in women and was unchanged across four measurements for men.