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The 6-minute walk test in scleroderma--how measuring everything measures nothing.
A J Impens1, S Wangkaew, J R Seibold
1University of Michigan Scleroderma Program, 3918 Taubman Center/0358, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0358, USA.
Rheumatology (Oxford, England)
|September 17, 2008
Summary
The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is not a valid measure for lung disease in scleroderma patients. Non-pulmonary factors impact results, limiting its ability to assess lung function changes.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Rheumatology
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a standard assessment for exercise capacity.
- It's frequently used in pulmonary arterial hypertension studies.
- Its validity in scleroderma-related lung disease is questionable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the construct and content validity of the 6MWT.
- To determine if 6MWT accurately reflects lung function changes in scleroderma.
- To assess the suitability of 6MWT as an outcome measure in this population.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing data on 6MWT in scleroderma patients.
- Analysis of correlation between 6MWT results and parenchymal lung disease measures.
- Assessment of construct and content validity.
Main Results:
- Non-pulmonary scleroderma aspects significantly influence 6MWT outcomes.
- 6MWT results show poor correlation with parenchymal lung disease indicators.
- Reproducibility of 6MWT is confirmed, but validity is lacking.
Conclusions:
- The 6MWT lacks construct and content validity for scleroderma-related lung disease.
- Non-pulmonary factors confound 6MWT results, hindering lung function assessment.
- The 6MWT should no longer be used as an outcome measure in this context.
