title: Analysis of the performance of women with fibromyalgia in the six-minute walk test and its relation with health and quality of life.
abstract: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic syndrome characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain that causes a significant reduction in functional capacity, affecting thus health and quality of life (QOL).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of FM patients in the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and its relation with health and QOL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six FM patients (all women), differentiated by degree of severity of disease, and 14 healthy women were evaluated. Distance walked in the 6MWT, cardiorespiratory responses, heart rate responses, kinematic parameters of gait, the results of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), and the results of the Short-Form Healthy Survey (SF-36) were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with FM covered a shorter distance in the 6MWT, had a lower cardiorespiratory response, and had lower spatio-temporal parameters of gait than healthy women. No correlation was found in FM patients between the total FIQ score and the distance walked in the 6MWT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analysis of performance parameters in the 6MWT may be an element of clinical relevance in FM patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Didactics of Corporal Expression University of Jaen, Jaen, Spain - platorre@ujaen.es.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Latorre-Román
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santos-Campos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heredia-Jimenez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delgado-Fernández
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soto-Hermoso
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012119:Respiration; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*