Maximal treadmill tests five years apart in asymptomatic men aged 45-72 years.
169 asymptomatic male volunteers aged 45-72 years not taking part in any fitness or intervention program performed two maximal treadmill tets (Bruce protocol) five years apart. Treadmill endurance time declined 4 to 8 seconds per year; 72% of subjects had changes in endurance time of less than one minute. Maximal heart rate declined about 1 beat/min-1 per year. Horizontal or downsloping ST segment depressions of 0.1 mv or more or slowly upsloping ST depressions of 0.2 mv or more occurred in 26% of subjects at test 1, 38% of subjects at test 2. 25% of subjects with ST abnormality at test 1 were normal at test 2, and 26% of subjects with a normal ST segment at test 1 were classified as abnormal at test 2. Ventricular ectopic beats during or after exercise occurred in 22% of subjects at test 1 and in 37% of subjects at test 2, and the frequency of complex ventricular ectopic activity increased from 2% at test 1 to 9% at test 2. There is a high frequency of exercise induced ventricular extrasystoles, and ST depression in a normal population of older men and it is not known whether there is any need for intervention.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010807:Physical Endurance; D012016:Reference Values