Validation of 1 Minute Sit-to Stand Test for Assessment of Breathlessness at Exertion in Individuals With Chronic Lung Disease

Overview

Breathlessness is a common symptom in people with chronic lung and heart diseases. It can affect daily activities, quality of life, and overall health. Current questionnaires used to assess breathlessness depend on a person's memory of symptoms and may not accurately capture breathlessness during physical activity. This study aims to evaluate whether the one-minute sit-to-stand test (1MSTS), a simple test that involves repeatedly standing up from and sitting down on a chair for one minute, can measure breathlessness during exercise. Adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, interstitial lung disease (ILD) or heart failure (HF) will participate. Participants will attend three study visits and complete exercise tests, including the 1MSTS, a six-minute walk test (6MWT), and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). The study will assess how well breathlessness measured during the 1MSTS test reflects breathlessness during other established exercise tests, and whether the test provides reliable and responsive measurements over time. The results may help establish the 1MSTS as a practical and easy-to-use tool for assessing exertional breathlessness in both clinical practice and research.

Chronic breathlessness is a common and burdensome symptom among people with chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Accurate assessment of exertional breathlessness is important for clinical evaluation, monitoring of disease progression, and evaluation of treatment effects. Commonly used instruments, including symptom questionnaires, primarily rely on retrospective recall and may not adequately capture breathlessness experienced during physical activity. The one-minute sit-to-stand test (1MSTS) is a simple, low-cost functional exercise test that can be performed in a wide range of healthcare settings. Although the test is increasingly used to assess functional capacity in patients with chronic disease, its role as a tool for assessing exertional breathlessness has not been fully established. This prospective multicenter validation study aims to evaluate the measurement properties of breathlessness assessed during the 1MSTS in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, interstitial lung disease (ILD), and heart failure (HF). Participants will undergo repeated assessments using the 1MSTS and established exercise tests, including cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and the six-minute walk test (6MWT). Breathlessness will be assessed during exercise using standardised rating scales, and physiological responses will be recorded using conventional and sensor-based methods. The study will examine the validity, reliability, and responsiveness of breathlessness measurements obtained during the 1MSTS. Findings from this study may support the use of the 1MSTS as a practical and accessible tool for identifying and monitoring exertional breathlessness in both clinical practice and research settings.