Table 1 Key attributes and limitations of the 6-min walk test in patients with IPF
From: Utility of the six-minute walk test in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Attributes | Limitations |
|---|---|
• Easy and inexpensive to perform | • Results affected by multiple factors  ○ Age/sex/weight/height  ○ Comorbidities that affect ability to walk or desaturation  ○ Use of supplemental oxygen  ○ Specific instructions given to patient, which may be affected by language barriers  ○ Training effects |
• Reproducible | |
• Replicates activities of daily living | |
• Provides a functional measure of the patient’s overall cardiopulmonary reserve | |
• 6MWD correlates with measures of lung function and HRQL | |
• 6MWD, and particularly decline in 6MWD, are strong predictors of mortality | |
• Provides no insight into mechanism/s of exercise limitation | |
• Unclear which parameter measured during 6MWT is of greatest prognostic value | |
• Use of different methodologies across studies hinders comparison of results |