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
. 2018 Sep;58(3):427-433.
doi: 10.1002/mus.26146. Epub 2018 May 17.

The cardiorespiratory response and physiological determinants of the assisted 6-minute handbike cycle test in adult males with muscular dystrophy

Christopher I Morse  1 , Emma L Bostock  1 , Harriet M Twiss  1 , Laura H Kapp  1 , Paul Orme  2 , Matthew F Jacques  1
Affiliations

The cardiorespiratory response and physiological determinants of the assisted 6-minute handbike cycle test in adult males with muscular dystrophy

Christopher I Morse et al. Muscle Nerve. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: The assisted 6-minute cycle test (A6MCT) distance was assessed in adults with muscular dystrophy (MD).

Methods: Forty-eight males, including those with Duchenne MD (DMD), limb-girdle MD (LGMD), fascioscapulohumeral MD (FSHD), and Becker MD (BMD), as well as a group without MD (CTRL), completed handgrip strength (HGS), lung function [forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1 ) and forced vital capacity (FVC)], body fat, and biceps thickness assessments. During the A6MCT, ventilation (VE), oxygen uptake (VO2 ), carbon dioxide (VCO2 ), and heart rate (HR) were recorded.

Results: A6MCT and HGS were lower in MD than CTRL subjects. FEV1 , FVC, and biceps thickness were lower in MD than CTRL; lower in DMD than BMD, LGMD, and FSHD; but were not different between BMD, LGMD, and FSHD. A6MCT correlated with HGS, FEV1 , FVC, body fat, VO2 , VCO2 , HR, and VE (r = 0.455-0.708) in pooled BMD, LGMD, and FSHD participants.

Discussion: A shorter A6MCT distance in adult males with MD was attributable to HGS and lung function. The A6MCT is appropriate for assessment of physical function in adults with MD. Muscle Nerve 58: 427-433, 2018.

Keywords: 6-minute assisted cycle test; grip strength; lung function; muscular dystrophy; oxygen uptake.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cardiorespiratory measures recorded during the assisted 6‐minute cycle test. (A) Oxygen uptake (Vo 2). (B) Carbon dioxide output (Vco 2). (C) Heart rate (HR). (D) Ventilation (Ve). Asterisk: significant difference vs. all other groups (P < 0.05); C: significant difference from CTRL; F: significant difference from FSHD, B: significant difference from BMD; L: significant difference from LGMD (all group differences are P < 0.05). For clarity, significant differences from CTRL only are shown on the ventilation image. Data are presented as mean (SD).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Emery AE. The muscular dystrophies. Lancet 2002;359:687–695. - PubMed
    1. Bushby K. The limb‐girdle muscular dystrophies: diagnostic guidelines. Eur J Paediatr Neurol 1999;3:53–58. - PubMed
    1. Mercuri E, Muntoni F. Muscular dystrophies. Lancet 2013;381:845–860. - PubMed
    1. Tawil R, Kissel JT, Heatwole C, Pandya S, Gronseth G, Benatar M. Evidence‐based guideline summary: evaluation, diagnosis, and management of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Neurology 2015;85:357–364. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lue Y‐J, Su C‐Y, Yang R‐C, Su W‐L, Lu Y‐M, Lin R‐F, et al Development and validation of a muscular dystrophy‐specific functional rating scale. Clin Rehabil 2006;20:804–817. - PubMed