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Six minute walk test Z score: correlations with cystic fibrosis severity markers

Fabíola Stollar1, Joaquim C Rodrigues, Maristela T Cunha

  • 1Pulmonology Division, Instituto da Criança, Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr. Enéas Carvalho de Aguiar, 647, zip code 05403900, São Paulo, Brazil. fabipediatria@hotmail.com

Journal of Cystic Fibrosis : Official Journal of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society
|December 23, 2011
PubMed

Insights

The six-minute walk test (6MWT) Z-score shows a weak but significant correlation with cystic fibrosis (CF) severity markers like FEV1 and BMI in children. This study introduces Z-scores for 6MWT to account for age and gender biases in CF patient assessments.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Clinical Exercise Physiology
  • Biostatistics

Background:

  • The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is increasingly utilized in pediatric cystic fibrosis (CF) care.
  • Limited research correlates 6MWT with established CF severity indicators in children.
  • Previous studies lacked age and gender normalization of 6MWT data using Z-scores.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between the 6-minute walk test Z-score (Z-6MWT) and key CF severity parameters in pediatric patients.
  • To assess the utility of Z-scores in standardizing 6MWT for children with CF.
  • To evaluate the relationship between Z-6MWT and FEV1, BMI, chest radiography (CXR), and chest tomography (CT) findings.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional descriptive study design was employed.
  • Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine relationships.
  • Data collected included FEV1, BMI Z-score, CXR, CT, and Z-6MWT from 34 clinically stable CF patients aged 6-21 years.

Main Results:

  • The mean Z-6MWT among the 34 participants (14F/20M, mean age 12.1±4.0 years) was -1.1±1.106.
  • Significant correlations were observed between Z-6MWT and FEV1 (r=0.59, p=0.0002), BMI Z-score (r=0.42, p=0.013), CXR (r=0.34, p=0.0472), and CT (r=-0.45, p=0.0073).
  • These correlations, while statistically significant, were generally poor in magnitude.

Conclusions:

  • A significant but weak correlation exists between the Z-6MWT and current markers of CF severity in pediatric patients.
  • The use of Z-scores for 6MWT may offer a more standardized approach for assessing functional capacity in children with CF.
  • Further research is warranted to explore the clinical utility of Z-6MWT in managing CF.
Abstract

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