[Reference values for the 6-minutes walking test in healthy subjects 20-80 years old].

BACKGROUND the six minute walking distance test (6MWD) is widely used to evaluate exercise capacity in several diseases due to its simplicity and low cost. AIM to establish reference values for 6MWD in healthy Chilean individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS we studied 175 healthy volunteers aged 20-80 years (98 women) with normal spirometry and without history of respiratory, cardiovascular or other diseases that could impair walking capacity. The test was performed twice with an interval of 30 min. Heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation (with a pulse oxymeter) and dyspnea were measured before and after the test. RESULTS walking distance was 576 ± 87 m in women and 644 ± 84 m in men (p < 0.0001). For each sex, a model including age, height and weight produced 6MWD prediction equations with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.63 for women and 0.55 for men. CONCLUSIONS our results provide reference equations for 6MWD that are valid for healthy subjects between 20 and 80 years old.