Cardiovascular and metabolic responses to upper- and lower-extremity exercise in men with idiopathic Parkinson's disease.
OBJECTIVE
The aerobic capacity of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) has not been characterized. This study (1) compared maximal exercise performance in individuals with and without PD, (2) compared exercise performance during upper- and lower-extremity exercise, and (3) described submaximal exercise responses.


METHODS
Eight men with PD (PD group) and 7 men without PD (control group) participated.


METHODS
Subjects performed a lower-extremity ergometer test (LE test) and an arm-cranking ergometer test (AC test). Peak oxygen consumption, heart rate, respiratory exchange ratio, and power, as well as submaximal values of oxygen consumption and heart rate for each power level, were recorded.


RESULTS
No differences were found between the groups for either test. Peak power was less for the PD group than for the control group for both tests. Submaximal heart rate and oxygen consumption were higher for the PD group than for the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that individuals with mild to moderate PD can be tested with both exercise protocols to a peak exercise capacity and that there are differences in upper- and lower-extremity peak power and submaximal responses between persons with and without PD.
School of Physical Therapy, Texas Woman's University, Houston 77030-2897, USA.
E J
EJ
Protas
R K
RK
Stanley
J
J
Jankovic
B
B
MacNeill
D000368:Aged; D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange / Q000502:physiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric