Abstract
Objective: The study purpose was to compare ambulatory function in men with and without HIV infection, and test the association with aerobic exercise capacity. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 45 HIV-infected men and 37 age and race-matched HIVuninfected men at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. Participants performed cardiorespiratory exercise testing, sixminute walk (6-MW) and the 400-meter long distance corridor walk (LDCW) as part of a study of veterans without history of CVD. Results: The mean (SD) age was 55 (6) years. Among the 82 male participants, 98% were African American race. The 6-MW distance correlated with aerobic exercise capacity (VO2peak) in both HIV-infected subjects (r=0.50, p 0.1). Between HIV groups, there was a significant difference in LDCW (p=0.01) but not in 6-MW (p=0.3). Conclusions: In HIV-infected men without known CVD the 6-MW and LDCW, provide similar estimates of aerobic exercise capacity. The findings are comparable to uninfected men with similar demographic and clinical characteristics, and support endurance walk tests to estimate aerobic exercise capacity in HIV-infected patients.
Highlights
Ambulatory function predicts mortality and mobility disability in older adults [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Men enrolled in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) at the Baltimore VA Medical Center were recruited for the Cardiovascular Sub-study (CVD-VACS), which included cardiorespiratory testing and assessment of physical function
There was a non-significant trend for the uninfected men to be more likely to be obese or overweight (Body Mass Index (BMI) > 25.0 kg/m2) than the HIV-infected men
Summary
Ambulatory function predicts mortality and mobility disability in older adults [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Ambulatory function measured by selfpaced walking tests assesses both mobility and capacity to perform real-life daily activities in adults with a wide range of limitations Longer distance tests, such as the six-minute walk (6-MW) and the long-distance corridor walk (LDCW), correlate with aerobic exercise capacity (VO2peak) measured by cardiorespiratory testing in patients with congestive heart failure [5] and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) [8]. These tests are referred to as endurance walk tests to differentiate them from short-distance timed walks (e.g., 4-meter) that focus on mobility limitations and gait speed. Short-distance timed walks are associated with leg strength [9], but are more likely to be limited by a ceiling effect in individuals with high level of physical function
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