Functional capacity using sit-to-stand tests in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its relationship with disease severity-a cross-sectional study with matched controls.
Ana Machado, Cíntia Dias, Patrícia Rebelo and 7 others
PMID 38943740WHAT IT FOUND
Sit-to-stand tests reveal functional capacity impairment in 23% to 33% of people with COPD, even when lung function looks mild.
The 1-minute test catches more problems than the 5-repetition test and should be preferred for assessing endurance and symptomatic burden in stable patients.
Key findings
01Functional capacity impairment was found in 23% of people with COPD on the 5-repetition sit-to-stand test and 33% on the 1-minute sit-to-stand test.
02People with COPD performed worse than healthy controls on both sit-to-stand tests regardless of their GOLD spirometry grade, indicating that lung function severity does not predict functional capacity.
03The 1-minute sit-to-stand test was more sensitive than the 5-repetition test for detecting differences related to exacerbation history and symptomatic level.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was mostly male and had moderate to severe COPD, so results may not generalize to all people with COPD. Healthy status was self-reported without formal medical examination, which may have misclassified some controls. The study only assessed functional capacity via sit-to-stand tests, missing other aspects of functional status like performance or reserve. This was a cross-sectional design, so it cannot prove that sit-to-stand performance predicts future outcomes like exacerbations or mortality.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a patient with mild airflow obstruction (GOLD 1 or 2) has preserved functional capacity. The study found that functional impairment was present across all severity grades and was not predicted by spirometry results. Relying on lung function alone may miss patients who need rehabilitation.