Co - Relation of Six Minute Walk Test With Pulmonary Function Tests in Obese Individuals Admitted for Bariatric Surgery

Abstract

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:To evaluate Pulmonary Function Tests and 6MWT in obese individuals and to correlate 6MWT with FEV1 and MMEF 75-25 and establish the individual significance in evaluating bariatric subjects. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Prospective observational study carried out on 50 obese patients referred to PFT Lab for pre-operative investigations (admitted for planned Bariatric Surgery) after the informed consent in Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post Graduate Institute, Indore (MP). Biometric data (age, sex, height and weight), Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT) and Six minute walk test (6MWT) data was collected. Exclusion criteria for study is those who were not willing, unable to perform PFT/6MWT acceptably, recent cardiac event, patients with osteoarthritis or neuromuscular disorder and patients with known pre-existing respiratory illness. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statistical analysis was performed using Graphpad Quick Calcs: t test calculator software. The data were reported as mean ± standard deviation (SD). The absolute (6MWD) in meters was used. The correlation between 6MWD and the patient's pulmonary function test were evaluated by applying unpaired 't' test. 6MWT shows extremely significant correlation with FEV1and MMEF 75-25. RESULT: There is high correlation between 6MWT and PFT in obese individuals. All the patients above normal BMI have ventilatory defect which may be due to restriction imposed by abdominal wall and chemical mediators released by adipocytes. Predicted values are calculated by Udwadia Index. CONCLUSION: 6MWT is a good prognostic tool to study ventilatory mechanism in obese individuals. KEYWORDS: PFT, 6MWT, BMI, FEV1, MMEF 75/25. INTRODUCTION:Obesity is a worldwide disease of increasing prevalence, currently representing a major public health problem superimposed on ancient problems such as malnutrition and infectiouscontagious diseases in emerging countries. 1,2 The health consequences of obesity range from a higher risk of premature death to severe chronic diseases that reduce the quality of life. 1 Obesity is a chronic medical condition characterized by an excessive accumulation of fat on human body that causes a generalized increase in body mass. It is measured by using body mass index (BMI) which is a reflection of weight and height. Body mass index (BMI) is calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (BMI = weight (kg) /height (m 2 ). The world Health Organization (WHO) classified obesity using BMI cut-off values of 25 and 30 kg/m 2 Body mass index (BMI) of 18 to 24.9 kg/m 2 is considered normal weight, a BMI of 25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 is considered overweight and a BMI of 30 kg/m 2 or higher is considered obesity. 3 To investigate the effect of obesity on the respiratory system, most researchers use values of pulmonary function tests (PFT). The factors that usually affect the values of pulmonary function tests are age, gender, height, race or ethnic origin and possibly obesity. As the individual gets ...