Objective: To determine if the distance walked in the first two minutes of the 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT) accurately predicts the total distance walked in the 6MWT in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: The 6MWT is a commonly used measure of walking capacity in people with PD. People with PD may employ different strategies when completing the 6MWT. For example, it is unclear if people with PD show a decline in speed over the course of the test or if they pace themselves to walk a consistent speed throughout the 6MWT.

Methods: Thirty-four participants (mean age ± SD: 66.75 ± 8.35; 38% female) with mild to moderate idiopathic PD completed the 6MWT while off anti-PD medication (i.e. greater than 12 hours since last dose). A subset of these participants (n=25) also completed the 6MWT while on anti-PD medication (i.e. approximately 1 hour since last dose). For the 6MWT, participants were instructed to walk at a safe, comfortable pace while trying to cover as much ground as possible. The distances (meters) at 2 and 6 minutes were collected. Linear regression analyses were conducted to determine if the 2MWT distance accurately predicted the 6MWT distance in off and on medication conditions.

Results: The distance walked after two minutes strongly predicted the 6MWT distance in both the off (F(1,33) = 974.8, p<0.001, R2=0.97) and on (F(1,24) = 594.2, p<0.001, R2=0.96) medication conditions.

Conclusions: The distance walked after two minutes almost perfectly predicted the 6MWT distance in people with PD in the off and on medication conditions. This suggests that, regardless of medication status, people with PD walk at a relatively consistent pace when performing the 6MWT. In the future, researchers should investigate whether people with PD employ a similar strategy when performing an endurance test over a shorter time period like the 2 Minute Walk Test.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/does-distance-walked-after-two-minutes-predict-total-6-minute-walk-test-distance-in-people-with-parkinsons-disease/