Table 1 Inclusion criteria

Study design: RCTs in any language

Population: Stroke patients with age ≥ 18 years old. Early stroke < 3 months at the time of diagnosis

Intervention: Respiratory muscle training, including inspiratory and expiratory muscle training

Control: Sham respiratory muscle training (without any resistance) or regular rehabilitation programs without respiratory muscle training

Outcomes: 1. Respiratory function: respiratory muscle strength (MIP, MEP), respiratory muscle endurance, pulmonary function testing (PEF, FEV1, FVC), and dyspnea fatigue score. 2. Functional capacity: 6-min walking test, Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Functional Ambulation Category