Comparison of the Two Minute Step Test with Six Minute Walk Test in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

The patients who have COPD face difficulty in their functional activities especially during climbing stairs, walking uphill. In view of assessing the maximal functional capacity, we need a short term functional stress test over the gold standard 6MWT. So this was done to find out the applicability of Two minute step test which is fulfilling the criteria of the functional walk test.

To find out the applicability of Two minute step test by comparing the Six minute walk test with the Two minute step test.

Crossover Study Design was adopted for the study.

There is a moderate correlation exists among distance walked in six minute walk test and number of steps taken in two minute step test in mild to moderate COPD patients (r = 0.690). There is a high correlation exists between the mean values of Heart rate(r=0.752), Respiratory rate (r=0.754), Dyspnoea (r=0.701) and Fatigue (r=0.729) in six minute walk test and two minute step test. There is moderate correlation exists between the mean values of Oxygen saturation (r= 0.475), Systolic blood pressure (r=0.472) and Diastolic blood pressure (r=0.563).

The study results show that a correlation exists between Two minute step test and Six minute walk test