We evaluated dyspnea perception in cystic fibrosis patients compared with normal
subjects, during an inspiratory resistive loading test and 6-min walk test. We
also evaluated the correlation between dyspnea scores induced by resistive loads
and by the 6-min walk test. In this prospective, cross-sectional study, 31
patients with cystic fibrosis (≥15 years of age) and 31 age-, gender-, and
ethnicity-matched healthy volunteers (20 females and 11 males per group)
underwent inspiratory resistive loading, spirometry, and the 6-min walk test. As
the magnitude of the inspiratory loads increased, dyspnea scores increased
(P<0.001), but there was no difference between groups in dyspnea score
(P=0.654). Twenty-six (84%) normal subjects completed all the resistive loads,
compared with only 12 (39%) cystic fibrosis patients (P<0.001). Dyspnea
scores were higher after the 6-min walk test than at rest (P<0.001), but did
not differ between groups (P=0.080). Post-6-min walk test dyspnea scores
correlated significantly with dyspnea scores induced by resistive loads. We
conclude that dyspnea perception induced in cystic fibrosis patients by
inspiratory resistive loading and by 6-min walk test did not differ from that
induced in normal subjects. However, cystic fibrosis patients discontinued
inspiratory resistive loading more frequently. There were significant
correlations between dyspnea perception scores induced by inspiratory resistance
loading and by the 6-min walk test. This study should alert clinicians to the
fact that some cystic fibrosis patients fail to discriminate dyspnea perception
and could be at risk for delay in seeking medical care.