Cardiopulmonary exercise capacity in healthy normals of different age.
Sixty-nine healthy normals from the 3rd to the 6th decade were stressed to exhaustion by means of a cardiopulmonary exercise test on a bicycle ergometer. Peak VO2, VCO2 and ventilation differed significantly between the four decades: peak VO2 (mean +/- SD) was 3,393 +/- 516; 3,061 +/- 444; 2,817 +/- 801 and 2,589 +/- 687 ml/min (p < 0.001). The mean value for respiratory gas exchange ratio (R) at ventilatory threshold (VT) was 0.86 and for ventilatory equivalent O2 (EqO2) 0.24. Mean VO2 at VT was 1,662 +/- 521; 1,462 +/- 308; 1,474 +/- 559 and 1,268 +/- 232 ml/min (p < 0.05). The VO2 of the four age groups at VT was between 47 and 49% of peak VO2 (n.s.), and both parameters correlated significantly (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). The average increase of VO2 in relation to work rate (ml/W/min) was 11.5 +/- 1.2 for the total exercise and was below VT lower (9.4 +/- 1.9) than above VT (12.9 +/- 1.2) (p < 0.001).
Herzzentrum Bad Krozingen, Germany.
K
K
Meyer
R
R
Hajric
L
L
Samek
M
M
Baier
P
P
Lauber
P
P
Betz
H
H
Roskamm
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values