Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Aug 7;13(29):3996-4001.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i29.3996.

Six Minute Walk Test to assess functional capacity in chronic liver disease patients

Hatem F Alameri  1 , Faisal M Sanai, Manal Al Dukhayil, Nahla A Azzam, Khalid A Al-Swat, Ahmad S Hersi, Ayman A Abdo
Affiliations

Six Minute Walk Test to assess functional capacity in chronic liver disease patients

Hatem F Alameri et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Aim: To examine the utility of Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT) in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD).

Methods: Two hundred and fifty subjects between the ages of 18 and 80 (mean 47) years performed 6MWT and the Six Minute Walk Distance (6MWD) was measured.

Results: The subjects were categorized into four groups. Group A (n = 45) healthy subjects (control); group B (n = 49) chronic hepatitis B patients; group C (n = 54) chronic hepatitis C patients; group D (n = 98) liver cirrhosis patients. The four groups differed in terms of 6MWDs (P < 0.001). The longest distance walked was 421 +/- 47 m by group A, then group B (390 +/- 53 m), group C (357 +/- 72 m) and group D (306 +/- 111 m). The 6MWD correlated with age (r = -0.482, P < 0.01), hemoglobin (r = 0.373, P < 0.001) and albumin (r = 0.311, P < 0.001) levels. The Child-Pugh classification was negatively correlated with the 6MWD in cirrhosis (group D) patients (r = -0.328, P < 0.01). At the end of a 12 mo follow-up period, 15 of the 98 cirrhosis patients had died from disease complications. The 6MWD for the surviving cirrhotic patients was longer than for non-survivors (317 +/- 101 vs 245 +/- 145 m, P = 0.021; 95% CI 11-132). The 6MWD was found to be an independent predictor of survival (P = 0.024).

Conclusion: 6MWT is a useful tool for assessing physical function in CLD patients. We suggest that 6MWD may serve as a prognostic indicator in patients with liver cirrhosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The relationship between the 6MWD and clinical variables in patients with chronic liver diseases. A: Negative correlation with age; B: Positive correlation of 6MWD with level of hemoglobin; C: Positive correlation of 6MWD with level of albumin.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Kaplan-Meier survival curves according to a four quartile distribution of the 6MWD in patients with cirrhosis. P < 0.05 between patients who walked < 250 m and those who walked 250 m or more.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lok AS, van Leeuwen DJ, Thomas HC, Sherlock S. Psychosocial impact of chronic infection with hepatitis B virus on British patients. Genitourin Med. 1985;61:279–282. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Foster GR, Goldin RD, Thomas HC. Chronic hepatitis C virus infection causes a significant reduction in quality of life in the absence of cirrhosis. Hepatology. 1998;27:209–212. - PubMed
    1. Bianchi G, Loguercio C, Sgarbi D, Abbiati R, Chen CH, Di Pierro M, Disalvo D, Natale S, Marchesini G. Reduced quality of life in patients with chronic hepatitis C: effects of interferon treatment. Dig Liver Dis. 2000;32:398–405. - PubMed
    1. Marchesini G, Bianchi G, Amodio P, Salerno F, Merli M, Panella C, Loguercio C, Apolone G, Niero M, Abbiati R. Factors associated with poor health-related quality of life of patients with cirrhosis. Gastroenterology. 2001;120:170–178. - PubMed
    1. Sainz-Barriga M, Baccarani U, Scudeller L, Risaliti A, Toniutto PL, Costa MG, Ballestrieri M, Adani GL, Lorenzin D, Bresadola V, et al. Quality-of-life assessment before and after liver transplantation. Transplant Proc. 2005;37:2601–2614. - PubMed

MeSH terms