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No link seen between functional tests, thoracic pain and COPD

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in this study showed a high rate of thoracic pain, but showed no significant association between forced expiratory volume in 1 second, severity of dyspnea, functional exercise capacity or static hyperinflation, according to recent research.

“[T]horacic pain proved to be very common and correlated with more severely impaired disease-specific health status,” Daisy J.A. Janssen, MD PhD, from the Department of Research & Education at CIRO, Centre of expertise for chronic organ failure in The Netherlands, and colleagues wrote in their study. “In order to optimally treat symptoms and improve disease-specific health status, awareness about the high prevalence of thoracic pain and its clinical impact must be increased among (respiratory) physicians. Assessment of thoracic pain should be integrated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management programs, including pulmonary rehabilitation (PR).”

Janssen and colleagues evaluated 67 participants in an observational study who entered pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the abstract. The patients underwent plethysmography, spirometry and measurement of single breath diffusion capacity; they performed 6-minute walking distance, COPD Assessment Test and Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (mMRC) to assess functional exercise capacity, disease-specific health status and severity of dyspnea.

Of the patients who participated, 55 of 67 patients (82.1%) had chronic pain and 53.7% had thoracic pain, with CAT scores and younger age associated with thoracic pain (P = 0.01), according to the abstract. However, the researchers found no association between factors such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second, static hyperinflation, severity of dyspnea and functional exercise capacity and thoracic pain.

“Future studies should explore the mechanisms underlying thoracic pain in COPD,” Janssen and colleagues wrote. “Longitudinal studies using pain logs, including pain intensity as well as timing of pain, might be useful.” – by Jeff Craven

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.