TY - JOUR T1 - What the 4-metre gait speed measures and why it cannot replace functional capacity tests JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 1820 LP - 1822 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00222013 VL - 43 IS - 6 AU - Samantha S.C. Kon AU - Jane L. Canavan AU - Claire M. Nolan AU - Amy L. Clark AU - Sarah E. Jones AU - Paul Cullinan AU - Michael I. Polkey AU - William D-C. Man Y1 - 2014/06/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/43/6/1820.abstract N2 - From the authors:We are greatly honoured by the interest shown by M. Cesari and S. Scarlata in our recent publications on the 4-m gait speed (4MGS) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1, 2]. We strongly agree with their view that the 4MGS has value as a “vital sign”, a “marker of global well-being” and reflects biological (rather than chronological) age. Gait speed has been shown to be a strong and consistent risk factor for adverse outcomes including disability, nursing home admission, falls and mortality in community dwelling older persons [3, 4]. The intention of our studies was to draw the attention of the respiratory fraternity to the 4MGS, as we … ER -