ABSTRACT
Objective To determine relationships between daily activities measured as modified version of Pulmonary Functional status and Dyspnea Questionaire (PFSDQ-M) and functional capacity and symptoms experienced in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Convenience sample of 94 COPD patients with stable condition were assessed by interview with PFSDQ-M Chinese version and modified Medical Research council dyspnea scale (MMRC) respectively. Pulmonary function test (PFT) and 6-minute walking test (6MWT) were undergone on the same day or within one week as interview. PFSDQ-M has three subscales,i.e.,change experienced by patient with activities (CA),dyspnea with activities (DA) and fatigue with activities (FA). Results Scores of CA,DA and FA correlated to 6-minute walking distancer= (-0.37)- (-0.42),FEV_1 r=(-0.27)-(-0.32),FEV_1/FVC r= (-0.27)- (-0.32),dyspnea rated by MMRC (r=0.55-0.60) and BODE index (r=0.35-0.40),respectively (all P<0.01). dyspnea explained 26% of the variance in changes of activities. Conclusions Physical activities moderately changed in patients with stable COPD;Dyspnea is the best predictor of limitation of daily activities.