The relationship between six-minute walked distance and health-related quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure

Abstract

Objectives. To assess the relationship between the six-minute walk test (6MWT) and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with chronic heart failure. Methods. Forty-six patients (37 men and 9 women) with chronic heart failure, mean age 68 (SD 9), NYHA II-III and EF 29 (9) % were included. They performed 6MWT and assessed HRQL using two tools, a Swedish version of the 36-item Short Form (SF-36) and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). This was performed repeatedly during a study period of one year. Results. Patients with a walking distance lower than median experienced a lower HRQL than the higher performing half of the cohort, in four dimensions of the SF-36 and the summary of physical and mental components, but not in the dimensions of MLHFQ. Conclusion. Patients with heart failure with a short walking distance assessed their quality of life as inferior in half of the dimensions in the SF-36 but not in the dimensions measured with the MLHFQ. Thus, different aspects of the symptomatology are uncovered using the 6MWT and the different HRQL tools.

Accuracy of the 6-Minute Walk Test for Assessing Functional Capacity in Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and Other Chronic Cardiac Pathologies: Results of the ExIC-FEp Trial and a Meta-Analysis

“…For example, one study highlighted the importance of stride length on 6MWT performance in HF patients, emphasising the need to consider biomechanical and technical variables during testing that may influence the distance walked and consequently its usefulness as a tool to assess functional capacity [ 57 ]. In addition, other research highlighted the relationship between the 6MWT and health-related quality of life in HF patients, suggesting that the 6MWT serves not only as a measure of functional capacity, but also as an indicator of patients’ perceptions of their health status and well-being [ 58 ]. Conversely, another study identified predictors of 6MWT performance in HF patients, improving our understanding of the determinants of functional capacity in this population [ 59 ].…”

Exploring the relationship between North Star Ambulatory Assessment and Health Utilities Index scores in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

“…For DMD, higher utility values would be expected in patients with greater functional abilities and lower utilities in patients with lesser functional abilities. While data are not presently available for DMD, this relationship has been observed between ambulatory function tests (like the 6MWT) and multidimensional measures of utility in other therapeutic areas (including muscular dystrophy in adults, cystic fibrosis, heart failure or other pulmonary diseases for example) [ 24 – 27 ]. Whether a similar relationship exists between measures of motor performance (such as the NSAA) and utility has not previously been investigated in DMD.…”