During the current COVID-19 pandemic and increased air pollution levels, wearing a facial mask has been recommended. This study aimed to compare the impact of wearing different masks when performing a submaximal functional activity (six-minute walk test; 6MWT) on respiratory symptoms, oxygen saturation, and functional capacity.
Twenty-nine subjects (10 men, 19 women; age 22 ± 1 yr.; FEV 1/FVC 0.90 ± 0.01) performed four rounds of 6MWT wearing different masks (surgical (Medima SK, Thailand), handmade cloth, and N95 (3M AuraTM 1870 +, USA)) and while not wearing a mask. Respiratory symptoms (dyspnea and breathing effort), oxygen saturation, and other physiological parameters were assessed before and after each walking trial.
Six-minute walking distances were comparable between walking trials ( P = 0.59). At the end of minute 6, a significant difference between groups was found on dyspnea ( P = 0.02) and breathing effort ( P < 0.001). Post hoc tests showed that wearing a cloth mask significantly increased dyspnea ( P = 0.004) compared to wearing a surgical mask. Wearing a cloth mask also significantly increased breathing effort compared to wearing a surgical mask ( P < 0.001) and not wearing a mask ( P < 0.001). Likewise, while wearing an N95 mask, breathing effort significantly increased compared to wearing a surgical mask ( P = 0.007) and not wearing a mask ( P = 0.002).