Gait abnormalities of COPD are not directly related to respiratory function

To assess whether gait abnormalities in COPD depend on mere impairment of respiratory function. In 40 patients with COPD at different GOLD stages and 28 controls, we evaluated: forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1); partial pressure of oxygen; Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); dynamic balance through the Mini-BESTest (MBT); Timed Up and Go (TUG) test without and with dual task counting aloud back by three; 6-min walk test (6MWT); body sway...