To determine whether there is a direct link between quality of life and aerobic capacity among female fibromyalgia patients.
Cross-section study.
University of León.
Twenty-nine women belonging to the León Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Association.
Aerobic capacity and quality of life were measured by means of the Six-Minute Walk Test and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. Outcome measures included heart rate and rate of perceived fatigue and dypsnoea.
The average distance walked was 432.8 (61.2) m and the total average Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score was 47.5 (18.9). Only item 1 of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, physical function, showed any statistically significant link with the distance walked, which had no statistically significant relationship with any of the variables studied.
The physical fitness of women with fibromyalgia, as determined by the Six-Minute Walk Test and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, has no direct relation with quality of life as the patients perceive it.