Lack of specificity of the 6-minute walk test as an outcome measure for patients with systemic sclerosis
Schoindre Y et al. – Data demonstrate that the 6-min walking distance (6MWD) relates to broad factors in systemic sclerosis (SSc), raising the doubts about the specificity of this test in SSc and its relevance to monitoring therapy. Methods- An evaluation of the relationships of 6MWD and organ damage in SSc
- 87 pts underwent 6MWT in addition to:
- conventional assessment of possible lung, heart, kidney, skin, and muscle involvement
- disease activity scoring, severity, and
- quality of life determination
Results- 30% pts had an abnormal 6MWT and the mean 6MWD was 461.8±103.0 m
- When considering 6MWT as a binary variable, normal or abnormal CRP was the only independent variable associated with abnormal 6MWT
- Considered as a continuous variable, the 6MWD was associated with:
- Measures of lung involvement and inflammation
- Activity and severity of disease, and
- Quality of life
- Nevertheless, calcinosis was the only independent factor associated in multivariate analyses with a trend for an association for CRP
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