The respiratory muscle strength was quantified by meas- uring the maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maxi- mum expiratory pressure (MEP) according to the Brazilian Thoracic Association statement [10]. These measurements were performed with the participant properly seated and us- ing a manometer (MVD 300 model; Globalmed, S~ao Paulo, SP, Brazil). The MIP and MEP were performed from func- tional residual capacity.
Spirometry was performed using a handheld spirometer (Spiropalm; COSMED, Pavona di Albano, Italy) according to the Brazilian Thoracic Association recommendations [10]. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory vol- ume in the first second of expiration (FEV1), and the FEV1/FVC ratio were quantified and were expressed as ab- solute values and as percentage of predicted values [