Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease phenotypes and balance impairment

Abstract

Background/objective

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory disease that results in airflow limitation and respiratory distress, also having many nonrespiratory manifestations that affect both function and mobility. Preliminary evidence suggests that balance deficits constitute an important secondary impairment in individuals with COPD. Our objective was to investigate balance performance in two groups of COPD patients with different body compositions and to observe which of these groups are more likely to experience falls in the future.

Methods

We included 27 stable COPD patients and 17 healthy individuals who performed a series of balance tests. The COPD patients were divided in two groups: emphysematous and bronchitic. Patients completed the activities balance confidence scale and the COPD assessment test questionnaire and afterward performed the Berg Balance Scale, timed up and go, single leg stance and 6-minute walking distance test. We analyzed the differences in the balance tests between the studied groups.

Results

Bronchitic COPD was associated with a decreased value when compared to emphysematous COPD for the following variables: single leg stance (8.7 vs 15.6; P<0.001) and activities balance confidence (53.2 vs 74.2; P=0.001). Bronchitic COPD patients had a significantly higher value of timed up and go test compared to patients with emphysematous COPD (14.7 vs 12.8; P=0.001).

Conclusion

Patients with COPD have a higher balance impairment than their healthy peers. Moreover, we observed that the bronchitic COPD phenotype is more likely to experience falls compared to the emphysematous phenotype.

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis

Journal ID (publisher-id): International Journal of COPD

Title: International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Publisher: Dove Medical Press

ISSN (Print): 1176-9106

ISSN (Electronic): 1178-2005

Publication date Collection: 2016

Publication date (Electronic): 29 April 2016

Volume: 11

Pages: 919-925

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Pulmonology, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania

[2 ]Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center, Hospital of Pneumoftiziology and Infectious Diseases “Dr Victor Babeş”, Timişoara, Romania

[3 ]Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania

Author notes

Correspondence: Cristian Oancea, Department of Pulmonology, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu sq, no 2, 30041, Timişoara, Romania, Tel [phone], Email oancea@ 123456umft.ro

Article

Publisher ID: copd-11-919

DOI: 10.2147/COPD.S101128

PMC ID: 4857826

PubMed ID: 27199555

Copyright statement: © 2016 Voica et al. This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited

License:

The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed.

Categories

Subject: Original Research