Introduction:

Neuromuscular Diseases are characterized by the progressive loss of muscle mass, morbidity and mortality increases with the progress of muscle weakness due to the increased risk of respiratory complications, so it is very important to properly evaluate and interpret the measurements of lung functions and ventilation to be able to carry out a specific treatment that can reduce respiratory complications.

Objectives:

The purpose of this work is to present the results of the measurements of flows, volumes, respiratory capacities and spirometric patterns in outpatients with neuromuscular diseases and to verify their usefulness to detect vital risks.

Materials and methods:

A cross-sectional Descriptive-Observational study was carried out, where 30 children and adolescents with neuromuscular diseases were evaluated on an outpatient basis, from March 2017 to August 2018.

Results:

46% of all patients presented a non-functional cough with a high risk of complications and only 10% of all patients were eligible for spirometry studies. During the spirometric tests, 50% of the patients managed to maintain expiration for 6 seconds. In 70% of the patients, abnormalities in the Flow-Volume curve could be detected.

Conclusion:

Although spirometry is the main pulmonary function test, its usefulness and efficacy in neuromuscular diseases depends on the findings of specific alterations in the morphology of the flow-volume curve, which in many cases are not possible to distinguish.

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