Six Minute Walk Distance and Forced Expiratory Volume in First Second on Spirometry in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a prevalent respiratory disease characterized by persistent progressive airflow limitation. Diagnosis Requires Forced expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) measurement by spirometry which is not available easily and was available in underused. Objective: The current study is an effort to determine the correlation between FEV1 and 6MW distance, so that if a correlation exists, initial screening may be done on the basis of this easy test. The objective of the present study was to determine the correlation between six-minute walk distance and FEV1 in patients with COPD Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Institute of Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases, Mayo Hospital Lahore. The purposive sampling technique was used to enroll 100 patients fulfilling selection criteria after taking informed consent. Demographics details were obtained, spirometry performed for assessment of FEV1 followed by a six-minute walk test. All the data was recorded on the Proforma. Pearson Correlation coefficient was calculated between 6-minute walk distance and FEV1 for the whole sample and stratified groups taking p-value≤0.05 as significant. Results: The male to female ratio was 3:1 where the mean age of the patients was 54.87±8.65 years and the mean BMI value of the patients was 25.49±3.36 kg/m2. A positive correlation was found between FEV1 and TDW at 6 minutes’ walk with r=0.731, p=0.00. Conclusion: There is a strong positive correlation between six-minute walk distance and FEV1 on spirometry in COPD patients. Changes in pulmonary functions may be monitored by 6MWT. Keyword: COPD; Spirometer; FEV1; Correlation; Six Minutes Walk Distance; Exercise