title: Relation between physical activity and exercise capacity of ≥5 metabolic equivalents in middle- and older-aged patients with chronic heart failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with exercise capacity of <5 metabolic equivalents (METs) are considered to have a high risk of death. The aim of this study was to determine age-related differences in physical activity associated with an exercise capacity of ≥5 METs in chronic heart failure (CHF) outpatients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 157 stable CHF patients (79.6% men, age 60.3 ± 11.5 years). Patients were divided into two age-based groups (middle-aged, <65 years, n = 97) and (older-aged, ≥65 years, n = 60). Peak oxygen uptake (peak (V)O(2)) was assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing. We further divided patients into groups according to exercise capacity: ≥5 METs and <5 METs. Physical activity was assessed by measuring the average number of steps/day for 1 week with an electronic pedometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Receiver-operating characteristic curves were used to select cutoff values for steps associated with an exercise capacity of ≥5 METs in the middle- and older-aged patients. Cutoff values of 6045 steps in the middle-aged and 6070 steps in the older-aged patients were determined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both middle- and older-aged CHF patients with exercise capacity of ≥5 METs completed approximately 6000 steps/day. This could become a target amount for minimal physical activity that could contribute to increased exercise capacity in CHF patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • Middle-aged and older-aged chronic heart failure (CHF) patients with a measured exercise capacity of ≥5 METs completed approximately 6000 steps/day as measured by electronic pedometer. • This amount of steps could become a target amount for minimal physical activity that could contribute to increased exercise capacity in CHF patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan. izawapk@ga2.so-net.ne.jp
authors.forename: Kazuhiro P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Izawa
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hiraki
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morio
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeichi
authors.forename: Takae
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
authors.forename: Naohiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Osada
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omiya
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055686:Metabolic Equivalent / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D012372:ROC Curve; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking