The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology
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Usual gait speed is a consistent predictor of adverse outcomes in community-dwelling elderly people. The reliability and validity of the 4-m gait speed (4MGS) has recently been demonstrated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aims of this study were to assess the responsiveness of the 4MGS and to estimate the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). ⋯ When anchored against a decline of more than the MCID for ISW, change in 4MGS was -0.11 m·s(-1). The 4MGS is responsive to pulmonary rehabilitation and longitudinal change in COPD, and has potential as a simple functional assessment tool in COPD. The 4MGS may be particularly useful in frail individuals with COPD.