Six Minute Walk Test in People with Tuberculosis Sequelae

Background & Purpose: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that affects the lungs and results in poor lung compliance secondary to diffuse fibrotic changes to lung tissue. Consequently, people with pulmonary tuberculosis experience impaired gas exchange resulting in a decline in functional capacity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical functional capacity (VO₂max) in a group of older (50 – 65 years) people with pulmonary tuberculosis and to compare them to an age-matched healthy group. A secondary purpose was to develop reference equations that could be used to predict 6 minute walk test (6MWT) distance in older, healthy people in India. Methods: Sixty healthy subjects (30 male and 30 female) and 60 subjects with a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (30 male and 30 female) participated in the study. All subjects underwent a 6MWT. Walk-work was calculated and used for evaluating functional capacity. Group comparison for functional capacity was done using 2-tailed t-tests. Pearson product correlation was used to examine for significant relationships and regression analysis was used to derive reference equations. Results: There was a significant difference between groups in regard to functional capacity and 6MWT distance (p < 0.001). Reference equations were developed that use age, height, and weight as predictors for 6MWT distance in the healthy group. Conclusion: The sequelae from pulmonary tuberculosis have considerable impact on functional capacity in older people in India.Key Words: six minute walk test, tuberculosis, functional capacity