Not troubled with breathlessness except with strenuous exercise.
1
Troubled by shortness of breath when hurrying on the level or
walking up a slight hill.
2
Walks slower than people of the same age on the level because of
breathlessness or has to stop for breath when walking at own pace
on the level.
3
Stops for breath after walking about 100 meters or after a few
minutes on the level.
4
Too breathless to leave the house or breathless when dressing or
undressing. Standards for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients
with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Section 1.
Most terminally ill patients have dyspnea at rest
or on minimal exertion (functional scale level 4).
Ask the patient to read aloud numbers from a list in
a period of 60 seconds. The number of numbers read and the numbers
read per breath over 60 seconds is practical, easy to carry out and may
be a useful objective measure of the limiting effect of breathlessness
in patients with dyspnea (Wilcock 1999).
Breath Holding
Ask patients to hold their breath and note the time in seconds. Breath
holding time is often lesser for patients with dyspnea compared to normal
subjects. This is another simple and objective measure of dyspnea in patients
with advanced illness (Taskar 1995).
Able to carry on normal activity, minor signs or symptoms of disease
80
Normal activity with effort, some signs or symptoms of disease
70
Cares for self, unable to carry on normal activity or to do active work
60
Requires occasional assistance, but is able to care for most needs
50
Requires considerale assistance and frequent medical care
40
Disabled, requires special care and assistance
30
Severely disabled, hospitalization is indicated although death is not
imminent
20
Hospitalization is necessary, very sick, active supportive treatment necessary
10
Moribund, fatal processes progressing rapidly
0
Dead
Source: Karnofsky, DA, Burchenal, JH. The
Clinical Evaluation of Chemotherapeutic Agents in Cancer. Pg.
196. IN: MacLeod CM (Ed), Evaluation of Chemotherapeutic Agents.
Columbia Univ Press, 1949.
