Phenotypic Characteristics of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease After Stratification for the Short Physical Performance Battery Summary Score

Abstract

Objective: To assess the phenotypic characteristics of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) after stratification for Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) summary scores and to determine phenotypic characteristics of the SPPB summary score at the start of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional. Setting: Baseline assessment for PR program. Participants: Patients with COPD (nZ900; age 65AE8y, 52% male, forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration, 43% [interquartile range, 31%-62%] predicted). Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Patients were stratified according to their SPPB summary scores into low-performance (LP), moderate-performance (MP), or high-performance (HP) groups. Furthermore, lung function, arterial blood gases, body composition, physical capacity, lower limb muscle strength and endurance, and symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed. Results: Generally, physical capacity and muscle function were lower and scores for symptoms of anxiety and depression were higher in LP patients than MP and HP patients (all values, P<.01). However, 25% of HP patients with COPD scored high on symptoms of anxiety and/or depression (!10 points), and HP patients still had on average an impaired physical capacity (median, 6-minute walk test [6MWT] distance of Supported by the Lung Foundation, the Netherlands (no. 5.1.18.232). Jana De Brandt is funded by the Flemish government. The research of FWO aspirant Jana De Brandt is sponsored by the FWO (grant no. 11B4718N). Dr F.M.E. Franssen is supported by grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, personal fees from Chiesi, personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline, grants and personal fees from Novartis, and personal fees from TEVA outside the submitted work. Dr B. van den Borst is supported by personal lecture fees from AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim bv. The other authors have nothing to disclose.