CORRELATION OF 6 MIN WALKING TESTS , SIT TO STAND TESTS AND PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

Abstract

Background: Assessment of functional capacity in COPD patients helps in determining the severity of the disease. While spirometry is the Gold standard, 6-min walking test (6MWT) and 1-min sit to stand test (STST) are simple and practical tests to assess exercise capacity and physical condition. This study is conducted to find the diagnostic accuracy of these two tests in comparison with spirometry. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in the RLJ Hospital, Tamaka on patients diagnosed with COPD. Patients performed 6MWT and STST. Heart rate, BP, SpO2, dyspnea and fatigue according to Borg scale are noted pre and post-tests. Results: 81.54% of the participants having severe/very severe COPD group, walked <332.49 m and only 18.46% could walk more than 332.50 m, SpO2 decreased from 93.98 ± 0.82 to 91.75 ± 1.39. During the 1-min STS test SpO2 decreased from 93.98 ± 0.82 to 91.75 ± 1.39. A positive correlation is observed between the 1-min sit to stand the test, and it had good predictive validity in predicting COPD as compared with spirometry as indicated by the area under the curve of 0.915 (95% CI 0.866 to 0.963, P value <0.001). Conclusions: The study demonstrated that 6MWT has a sensitivity of 81.54%, the specificity of 79.25% and 1-min sit to stand test has a sensitivity of 89.23%, specificity of 67.92% in predicting COPD. In a remote clinical setting where spirometry is not available, 6MWT and one-minute STST are the best methods for assessing COPD severity.