Association between lung function, physical activity level and postural evaluation variables in adult patients with cystic fibrosis.

Introduction: With the evolution of the cystic fibrosis (CF) disease, the decline of lung function associated with metabolic disorders and malnutrition, causes alterations in respiratory mechanics, musculoskeletal disorders and thoracic deformities, bringing injury to the individual's quality of life.

Objective: To verify the association between lung function, physical activity level and postural evaluation variables in adults with CF.

Methods: All patients underwent clinical evaluation and spirometry. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and an accelerometer were used to verify the physical activity level (PA). Photogrammetry was used with the aid of the Software of postural evaluation (SAPO) and, for complementary comparisons, the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) was used.

Results: Twenty-eight adult subjects with CF, mean age of 25.1 ± 6.3 years and mean expiratory volume in the first second (FEV ) of 47.1 ± 20.9% of the predicted group participated in the study. The FEV correlated with the parameters obtained by the accelerometer (r = 0.723, P = .000), postural evaluation (r = -0.483, P = .005) and 6MWT (r = 0.439, P = .019), but there was no correlation with the data obtained by IPAQ (r = -0.282; P = .073). The time in which each individual remained in moderate to vigorous physical activity correlated with parameters of postural evaluation (thoracic kyphosis r = -0.484, P = .031, cervical lordosis r = 0.531, P = .016), 6MWT (r = 0.564; P = .010) and with the total METS obtained by IPAQ (r = 0.451, P = .046).

Conclusions: Lung function in patients with CF disease is associated with higher thoracic kyphosis, shorter time in moderate and vigorous PA, and shorter distance covered in 6MWT. The accelerometer has been shown to be the best instrument for assessing PA in this public.