Abstract
Introduction: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is one of the major complications of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) that contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. Predicting and promptly diagnosing PH may improve the outcome in these patients. We evaluated the utility of 6-min walk test (6MWT) to predict PH earlier in the course of ILDs. Patients and Methods: A total of 113 patients diagnosed with ILD as per standard investigation protocols were included in this observational study. Patients were evaluated with 6MWT, pulmonary function tests, and two-dimensional echocardiogram. Patients having mean pulmonary arterial pressure >25 mmHg were labeled as PH, and 4% drop from pretest oxygen saturation was considered as significant desaturation. Results: It was observed that 40% of patients with desaturation on 6MWT had PH. None of the patients without significant desaturation had PH. Conclusion: Desaturation on 6MWT is not an early predictor of PH, which is one of the major complications of ILDs. However, it has a high negative predictive value in the prediction of PH in patients with ILD.
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