Quality of recalled dyspnoea is different from exercise-induced dyspnoea: an experimental study.
OBJECTIVE
Are volunteered and endorsed descriptors of recalled breathlessness consistent with descriptors of exercise-induced breathlessness? Are volunteered and endorsed descriptors of exercise-induced breathlessness consistent?


METHODS
Within-participant, repeated measures, experimental study.


METHODS
57 people with symptomatic chronic respiratory disease aged 71 years.


METHODS
There were three conditions. The first was recalled breathlessness. Two conditions of exercise-induced breathlessness were created by getting the participants to undertake the 6-min Walk Test twice (breathlessness 1 and 2).


METHODS
Descriptors of breathlessness were volunteered (where participants' used their own words) or endorsed (from a pre-existing list of 15 breathlessness statements).


RESULTS
Emotive descriptors made up 65% of recalled descriptors compared with 11% of exercise-induced descriptors, whereas physical descriptors made up 35% of recalled descriptors compared with 89% of exercise-induced descriptors. Of the 237 potential language pairs volunteered to describe recalled and exercise-induced breathlessness 1, only 27 (11%) were identical whereas of the 171 potential language pairs endorsed as describing recalled and exercise-induced breathlessness 1, 66 (39%) were identical. Of the 175 potential language pairs of descriptors volunteered to describe exercise-induced breathlessness 1 and 2, 72 (41%) were identical whereas of the 153 potential language pairs endorsed as describing exercise-induced breathlessness 1 and 2, 71 (46%) were identical.


CONCLUSIONS
The language used to describe exercise-induced breathlessness immediately after two walking challenges was similar. However, descriptions of recalled breathlessness did not consistently match descriptions of exercise-induced breathlessness, which may reflect the different contexts under which breathlessness was recalled and induced.
Williams
Marie
M
School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia. marie.williams@unisa.edu.au
Garrard
Ashleigh
A
Cafarella
Paul
P
Petkov
John
J
Frith
Peter
P
D000368:Aged; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests