Punekar YS, et al. – The experts wished to estimate the relationship between exercise tests and patient–reported outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They found evidence to support the association of 6-minute walk test (6MWT) outcomes with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and breathlessness patient-reported outcomes (PROs). However, there were limited data showing correlations with the outcomes of other exercise tests.

Methods

• For the purpose of this study, a search of Embase, MedLine, and the Cochrane Library identified primary publications in English that reported data on the relationships (Pearson’s r or Spearman’s Ρ) between the outcomes of exercise tests and HRQoL and breathlessness PROs.
• Studies reporting on the following tests were incorporated: 6-minute walk test (6MWT), 12MWT, incremental and endurance shuttle walk tests, incremental and endurance cycle ergometer tests, and treadmill tests.

Results

• Of three thousand, two hundred five articles screened, twenty-eight were deemed eligible for inclusion.
• The St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (13 studies) was the most commonly reported HRQoL PRO measure and the Baseline Dyspnea Index (six studies) was the most commonly reported breathlessness PRO measure.
• The St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire seems to correlate very weakly to moderately with the 6MWT, and breathlessness PROs appear to be moderately to strongly related to 6MWT outcomes.
• The evidence overall strongly suggested that the 6MWT was the most commonly reported exercise test.
• Very few publications reporting relationship between other exercise tests and PRO measures were discovered.