Six minute walk test in people with tuberculosis sequelae

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Geriatrics
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Pulmonary tuberculosis causes lung fibrosis, impairing gas exchange and functional capacity.
• Older adults are particularly vulnerable to the long-term effects of tuberculosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate physical functional capacity (VO(2)max) in older adults (50-65 years) with pulmonary tuberculosis.
• Compare functional capacity to age-matched healthy individuals.
• Develop reference equations to predict 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance in healthy older Indian adults.

Main Methods:

• Sixty healthy subjects and 60 subjects with pulmonary tuberculosis (all aged 50-65 years) participated.
• Functional capacity was assessed using the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and walk-work calculations.
• Statistical analyses included t-tests, correlation, and regression analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in functional capacity and 6MWT distance were observed between the tuberculosis and healthy groups (p < 0.001).
• Reference equations for predicting 6MWT distance in healthy older Indian adults were successfully developed using age, height, and weight.

Conclusions:

• Pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae significantly impact the functional capacity of older adults in India.
• The developed reference equations can aid in assessing functional capacity in this population.