LCADL Dyspnea Scale and Physical Activity in COPD Patients

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients commonly present dyspnea as a limiting factor to activities of daily living (ADL) accomplishment. However, it might be possible that this limitation may be decreased with regular aerobic physical activity. The London Chest Activity Daily Living (LCADL) scale assesses COPD patient's dyspnea during ADL accomplishment. Objectives: Analyze if there is an association between the LCADL dyspnea scale and aerobic physical activity in COPD patients. Methods: The overall LCADL score was calculated summing the five domain scores, Body Mass Index (BDI) and airflow limitation (FEV1). Patients were grouped according to their current physical activity profile and were classified as Physically Active (PA) and Physically Inactive (PI). Results: Out of 38 patients, 15 (39.47%) were considered physically active (PA) and 23 (60.53%) physically inactive (PI). PA patients presented mean values for the BMI of 24.5 ± 4.2, for FEV1 of 40.7 ± 11.7, for LCADL total score of 21.0 ± 13.6 and LACDL predicted value (%) of 35.5 ± 16.7. PI patients presented mean values for BMI of 23.5 ± 4.4, for FEV1 of 33.7 ± 11.4, for LCADL total score of 32.8 ± 15.1 and LACDL predicted value (%) of 53.14 ± 19.5. LCADL score was worse in the PI than in the PA patients (p=0.015). Conclusion: Physical inactivity contributes to higher scores in the LCADL scale which is associated to higher scores of dyspnea perception during activities of daily living accomplishment.