Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil.
Department of Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil.
Sci Rep. 2024 Feb 13;14(1):3649. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-54338-9.
The six-minute step test (6MST) has been shown to be effective in assessing exercise capacity in individuals with COPD regardless of severity and, despite its easy execution, accessibility and validity, information on the prognostic power of this test remains uncertain. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the 6MST can predict the occurrence of exacerbations in patients with COPD. This is a prospective cohort study with a 36-month follow-up in patients with COPD. All patients completed a clinical assessment, followed by pulmonary function testing and a 6MST. The 6MST was performed on a 20 cm high step; heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, BORG dyspnea and fatigue were collected. Sixty-four patients were included in the study, the majority being elderly men. Performance on the 6MST demonstrated lower performance compared to normative values proposed in the literature, indicating a reduced functional capacity. Kaplan Meier analysis revealed that ≤ 59 steps climbed during the 6MST was a strong predictor of COPD exacerbation over a 36-month follow-up. We have identified a minimal threshold number of steps (≤ 59) obtained through the 6MST may be able predict the risk of exacerbations in patients with COPD.
六分钟步行试验（6MST）已被证明可有效评估 COPD 患者的运动能力，无论严重程度如何，而且尽管其易于实施、可及性和有效性，但该试验的预后能力信息仍不确定。本研究旨在探讨 6MST 是否可预测 COPD 患者的加重事件。这是一项前瞻性队列研究，对 COPD 患者进行了 36 个月的随访。所有患者均完成了临床评估，随后进行了肺功能测试和 6MST。6MST 在 20cm 高的台阶上进行；收集心率、血压、血氧饱和度、BORG 呼吸困难和疲劳。该研究纳入了 64 名患者，其中大多数为老年男性。6MST 的表现与文献中提出的正常值相比表现出较低的运动能力，表明功能能力下降。Kaplan-Meier 分析表明，在 36 个月的随访中，6MST 期间攀爬的步数≤59 是 COPD 加重的强烈预测因素。我们已经确定，通过 6MST 获得的最小步数阈值（≤59）可能能够预测 COPD 患者的加重风险。
