Abstract
Limited evidence exists on average walking speed for individuals with cardiovascular and/or pulmonary dysfunction. Lower gait speed is associated with diagnoses of hypertension, chronic heart failure, diabetes, and/or low Framingham risk factor score. In addition, slow walking speed and poor grip strength were associated with increased mortality in older adults with CAD. Pilot data on individuals with chronic obstructive lung disease showed an average gait walk speed of 0.58 m/s for moderately impaired pulmonary disease. This article discusses many populations of individuals with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease and the evidence of walk speed in these populations.