A pilot observational study to identify reference values for the 6-minute walk test in Brazilian people with hypertension

Abstract

Introduction: Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is responsible for 9.5 million deaths in the global population. Lifestyle factors, including physical inactivity, are important modifiable risk factors in the development of SAH. Thus, physical exercise has been shown to be effective to control SAH and before the prescription, the six-minute walk test (6-MWT) has been commonly used to assess the physical capacity. Objective: To propose reference values for the 6-MWT test in Brazilian people with SAH. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 302 hypertensive subjects (62.61 + 10.93 years) admitted to a cardiac rehabilitation program. Participants were divided into different age quartiles and submitted to 6-MWT. The walking distance data was compared between the quartiles and adjusted by multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The hypertensive subjects walked 388.07 + 115.03 m during the 6-MWT. No significant difference between the genders was found. However, when the age quartiles were compared, for the 46–59 age group, the women walked less than the men. Intra-group comparisons showed that the distance walked in the 6-MWT decreased with the increase in age, in both men and women. Conclusion: The present study provides reference values for the 6-MWT, both for Brazilian men and women of different age groups. This data may be an important parameter for future clinical studies, prevention strategies, and clinical intervention.