[Is the age a limiting factor of functional capacity and cardiac performance in patients with chronic myocardial infarction ?].
Actually the old age is not considered a contra-indication of cardiac rehabilitation, although it influences the prognosis of patients with chronic myocardial infarction. The objective of the paper is the study of age as a limiting factor of the cardiac performance and exercise capacity at patients with myocardial infarction at the admission in rehabilitation programmes.


METHODS
Among the patients admitted in the Department of Internal Medicine of Rehabilitation Hospital of Iasi there were selected 132 with chronic myocardial infarction; they were divided into two groups: group A of 56 patients more than 55 years old and group B of 76 under 55. There were analysed the clinical features (risk factors, symptoms), the cardiac performance (by echographic study of the regional and global abnormalities of myocardial contractility) and the functional capacity (by exercise testing at the ergometric bicycle).


RESULTS
Both groups were similar by the point of view of the prevalence of the risk factors and location of the infarction. The ejection fraction, although smaller at the group A (45% vs 50%), did not reach the statistical significance. The exercise testing revealed a lower capacity of the group A, marked by higher levels of the cardiac rate and time-tension index at similar levels of exercise. The metabolic equivalent (MET) and VO2max were significantly lower (p = 0.001 respectively 0.002). There can be concluded that the age diminishes the exercise capacity of the patients with myocardial infarction without a marked influence of the cardiac performance. The last one depends on the infarction size and the myocardial status while the lowering of the functional capacity is influenced by noncardiac factors as well.
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Clinica a VI-a Medicală-Spitalul de Recuperare Iaşi.
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D000367:Age Factors; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004452:Echocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors