title: [Six-minute walk test in children with neuromuscular disease.]
abstract: Background: neuromuscular diseases affect the motor unit. When they evolve, respiratory complications are common; the six-minute walk test plays an important role in the assessment of functional capacity. Methods: prospective, transversal, descriptive and observational study. We studied seven children with a variety of neuromuscular diseases and spontaneous ambulation. We tested their lung function, and administered a six-minute walk test and a test of respiratory muscle strength to these children. Results: the age was 9.8 ± 2.4 years. All patients were males. Forced vital capacity decreased in three patients (42.8 %), forced expiratory volume during the first second (2.04 ± 1.4 L) and peak expiratory flow (4.33 ± 3.3 L/s) were normal. The maximum strength of respiratory muscles was less than 60 % of predicted values. The distance covered in the six-minute walk test was lower when compared with healthy controls (29.9 %). Conclusions: the six-minute walk test can be a useful tool in early stages of this disease, since it is easy to perform and well tolerated by the patients.
authors.affiliation: Servicio Clínico de Neumología Pediátrica, Hospital de Especialidades Pediátricas, Centro Regional de Alta Especialidad, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Secretaría de Salud, México. canleu2@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Israel Didier
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Cruz-Anleu
authors.forename: Benjamín Omar
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Baños-Mejía
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galicia-Amor
keywords: child; enfermedades neuromusculares; neuromuscular disease; niño; pruebas de función respiratoria; respiratory function tests