People with lung disease Chronic obstructive, known as COPD, in their serious form, walk more slowly, take shorter steps, have a lower steps rhythm and have less variation in speed, the length of the stride and the cadence when walking (the number of steps counted per minute) compared to those who have milder forms of the disease.
This is reflected in a study by the Global Health Institute of Barcelona that, for the first time, analyzes what is the way of walking people with COPD already a difference from other research that have focused on how much these patients walk.
Research has used digital technologies to deepen the knowledge of the characteristics of the March of people with COPD in their daily livesevaluating parameters such as the speed when walking, the frequency of steps per minute or the length of the stride.
In the study, published in ‘European Respiratory Journal’, 549 people with COPD participated, with an average age of 68 years, from seven European cities: Athens, Barcelona, Grosshandorf, Lovaina, London, Newcastle and Zurich.
The research team was continuously used for a week, digital technologies that combined a small portable device placed at the waist of the participants with algorithms specifically designed for populations with limitations in their mobility.
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This deteriorates the march
The study results show that the march deteriorates as this respiratory disease progresses. Specifically, the higher It is the difficulty to breathe And more symptoms or crisis has had the person, the more his way of walking is affected.
People with more serious COPD walk more slowly, take shorter steps, have a lower steps rhythm and have less variation in speed, stride length and cadence when walking (the number of steps counted per minute), compared to mild forms of the disease.
In a secondary analysis, the march of nineteen adults of age similar to that of participants with COPD was evaluated. The comparison between both groups showed that speed and cadence when walking are significantly altered in people with COPD compared to people without the disease.
Although we still do not know exactly the mechanisms that cause deterioration in the way of walking, the most important alterations in the most serious cases of COPD could be due to a lower physical capacity caused by more symptoms, more complications and inflammatory sequelae typical of the advanced phases of the disease, ”explains Judith Garcia-Aymerich, director of the Environment and Health Program of Isglobal and Senior Author of the study.
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What is it like to walk on a day to day
The study results show that some gear parameters, such as walking speed, stride length and cadence, were lower than those observed in previous studies carried out in controlled environments with medical supervision.
On the other hand, these values were similar to those shown by the only previous study that has evaluated cadence in people with COPD in daily life, without direct intervention of a professional.
“This supports the hypothesis that this respiratory disease impacts negatively Mobility in daily life”, Says Laura Delgado-Ortiz, researcher in Isglobal and first author of the study.
The use of portable sensors for several days – it adds – allows us to know what the real behavior of people is like day to day, far from the hospital or rehabilitation center, which gives us a much clearer image of their walk and how it is affected by the disease ”.
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Implications in clinical practice
The study could have implications in the medical management of the COPD.
“When addressing changes in the march and acting on them, doctors and health professionals could address key factors associated with falls, disability and mortality in this population,” says Judith Garcia-Aymerich.
This isglobal study is part of the European Mobilise-D project, focused on using digital tools to monitor the daily march of people with mobility problems in order to improve their monitoring and medical care.
(With EFE information)
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