Can the Glittre ADL test differentiate the functional capacity of COPD patients from that of healthy subjects?

BACKGROUND

The Glittre ADL (TGlittre) test is a specifically designed to assess functional limitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, it is not known if it can differentiate the performance of these patients from healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether the Glittre ADL test is able to differentiate the functional capacity of COPD patients from that of healthy subjects and to compare the cardiorespiratory response between Glittre ADL and the six-minute walk test (6MWT).

METHODS

The study included 10 patients with COPD (GOLD 2 to 4) and 10 healthy subjects matched by age who performed the following: spirometry pre- and post-bronchodilator, a Glittre ADL test and two 6MWT on two consecutive days.

RESULTS

The performance of COPD (FEV1%pred= 38.1±11.8, age=64±10 years, BMI=23.7±5.2 kg/ m²) was worse than the control group on TGlittre (5.26±2.9 min, 3.3±0.3 min, p<0.05) and 6MWT (434.97±105.18 m vs. 593.25±87.36 m, p<0.05). TGlittre correlated with the physical activity domain of the London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL) scale (r=0.67, p<0.05) and with 6MWT when the total sample was analyzed (r=-0.64, p<0.05). The COPD group had a statistically higher (p<0.05) increase in dyspnea (Borg scale) than the control group for both TGlittre and 6MWT, with a similar heart rate and peripheral oxygen saturation variation in both groups (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The performance of COPD patients is worse than that of healthy subjects on the Glittre ADL test, with a greater increase in dyspnea and similar heart rates.