Background: Musculoskeletal disorders in acromegaly compromise upper and lower limb activity. Corresponding changes can be better assessed by a functional capacity test incorporating multitasking, such as the Glittre Activities of Daily Living Test (GA-T).
Objectives: To evaluate functional capacity in adults with acromegaly using the GA-T and to correlate functional capacity with hand function and health-related quality of life.
Methods: The GA-T was applied to 36 patients with acromegaly and an equal number of healthy individuals. Additionally, participants completed the Acromegaly Quality of Life (AcroQoL) questionnaire and underwent a chronic pain assessment using a map of the human body, a hand function evaluation using the Cochin Hand Functional Scale (CHFS), and a handgrip strength test.
Results: Relative to the comparison group, patients with acromegaly required more time to perform the GA-T, showed worse hand function, and reported that squatting to accomplish shelving tasks was the major difficulty. GA-T time was correlated with the AcroQoL global score, handgrip strength, and the CHFS (rs=-0.487, p= 0.002; rs=-0.369, p= 0.026; rs= 0.538, p= 0.0007, respectively).
Conclusions: Patients with acromegaly exhibited a reduced functional capacity as assessed by the GA-T. Additionally, an association was identified between the total GA-T time and both hand function and quality of life.
Keywords: Acromegaly; activity of daily living; exercise; functional capacity; quality of life.