[Reproducibility of the shuttle walk test in children with cystic fibrosis].
BACKGROUND
Exercise testing is useful in the respiratory evaluation of patients with cystic fibrosis. The shuttle walk test (SWT) is a progressive, externally paced, exercise test requiring the subject to walk/run back and forth between two fixed points. The aim is to assess the reproductibility of the SWT in paediatric patients with cystic fibrosis.


METHODS
This prospective study recruited 31 children with stable disease. The patients performed two SWT one day (SWT 1 and 2) and two others (SWT 3 and 4) within 15 days. Only SWT 2 and 4 were assessed for reproducibility.


RESULTS
61% were boys, median age (range): 12.9 (7-18.9) years, median Shwachman score (range): 80 (65-100), median values for FEV1 and FVC (range): 92 (55-154) and 92 (64-140)% predicted, respectively. Median distance for SWT 2-4 (range): 910 (580-1020) and 925 (540-1020) metres. Reproducibility for SWT distance and physical activity measured by an accelerometer is very good (intra-class correlation coefficient=0.90 and 0.92, respectively). SWT distance correlated with physical activity (p=3.10(-4)) and weight (p=0.03). SWT distance was independent of the following parameters: height, weight-for-age Z-score, FEV1, FVC, Shwachman score, colonisation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.


CONCLUSIONS
The SWT is reproducible in paediatric patients with cystic fibrosis and provides assessment of respiratory performance that complements spirometric measures of lung function.
Pouessel
G
G
Centre de Ressources et de Compétences pour la Mucoviscidose, Clinique de Pédiatrie, Hôpital Jeanne-de-Flandre, Lille, France.
Santos
C
C
Thumerelle
C
C
Neve
V
V
Sardet
A
A
Wizla
N
N
Michaud
L
L
Loeuille
G A
GA
Beghin
L
L
Gottrand
F
F
Matran
R
R
Turck
D
D
Deschildre
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D016138:Walking