Introduction: Exercise is essential in the therapeutic approach to cystic fibrosis.

Aim: To evaluate the correlation of the exercise capacity assessed by the 6-Minute Walking Test (6-MWT)  with quality of life and physical activity in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Method: Twenty-nine people with CF (pwCF), mean age 21 years (14-34), with mild to moderate lung disease, without a recent pulmonary exacerbation, were evaluated. Quality of life was assessed using the Cystic Fibrosis Revised Questionnaire; physical activity level was assessed with the Godin Leisure Time Questionnaire. The 6MWT assessed exercise capacity. Pulmonary exacerbations over the last year and colonization with Pseudomonas were also recorded. The above parameters were correlated with the physical activity level of the subjects.

Results: Mean FEV1pp was 99% (54-146). A statistically significant correlation was found between the physical activity level of the patients and the following parameters: the distance walked in 6 minutes (p<0.004), the mean velocity during the test (p<0.003), and the score on the Borg Scale score at the end of the test (p<0.001). Quality of life, pseudomonas colonization, and the number of pulmonary exacerbations were not significantly correlated with the patients' physical activity levels.

Conclusions: Individual exercise capacity as assessed by the distance walked in 6 minutes, the mean velocity, and the Borg scale score at the end of the 6MWT test were significantly correlated to the physical activity level of pwCF. The 6-MWT is a simple and sensitive tool to assess exercise capacity among pwCF.