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

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.

Physical Activity and Body Composition Relate to Cardiorespiratory Fitness Independently in Young Adults with Down Syndrome

BACKGROUND： Persons with Down syndrome （DS） typically possess low cardiorespiratory fitness （CRF）, engage in low levels of physical activity （PA）, and display elevated obesity levels, but the association between these variables is not clear in persons with DS. METHOD： We investigated the relationships among measures of CRF, PA, and body composition in 30 young adults with DS （age： 21.3 ± 5.5 years） using a cross-sectional study design. RESULTS： Male participants presented on average with a BMI of 32.9 ± 10.0 kg/m2, a percent body fat of 22.2 ±13.0%, and a six-minute walk distance （6MWD） of 411.7 ± 66.3 m. Female participants presented on average with a BMI of 31.6 ± 13.5 kg/m2, a percent body fat of 26.7 ± 15.1%, and a six-minute walk distance （6MWD） of 360.4 ± 91.2 m. 6MWD shared a positive relationship with leisure time physical activity levels （r = 0.56, β = 1.488） and a negative relationship with body mass index （BMI; r = -0.49, β = -2.561）. No relationship between body composition and PA was found. CONCLUSIONS： It seems that higher PA levels and lower BMI relate to better CRF in young adults with DS. Physical activity and body composition appear to be unrelated in persons with DS.