title: Limited functional performance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: nature, causes and measurement.
abstract: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently describe limitations in functional performance. These limitations predict mortality, adversely affect health-care burden and impair health-related quality of life. The optimal method for quantifying the functional performance in COPD subjects has not been established. This paper discusses the (i) nature of limited functional performance reported by individuals with COPD, (ii) mechanisms that contribute to these limitations, (iii) assessment techniques available to provide markers of functional performance and (iv) areas for further research in measuring functional performance of COPD subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, West Park Healthcare Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kylie.Hill@westpark.org
authors.forename: Kylie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Roger S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011788:Quality of Life