title: Heart rate and blood pressure response to ramp exercise and exercise capacity in relation to age, gender, and mode of exercise in a healthy population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The responses of heart rate (HR) and blood pressure to the ramp exercise test are not known and the current understanding of peak oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold (AT) values in the normal Japanese population is insufficient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 749 healthy Japanese subjects aged 20-78 years underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test using a cycle ergometer or treadmill ergometer with ramp protocols. HR, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and oxygen uptake VO2 at rest, at AT, and at peak exercise were determined. HR and SBP at peak exercise in a cycle ergometer and treadmill ergometer test decreased with age. Work rate at peak exercise in a cycle ergometer increased with body weight and decreased with age. VO2 at AT and at peak exercise were higher in treadmill ergometer testing than in cycle ergometer testing, and were not affected by exercise protocol. Both of these decreased with age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The normal responses of HR and SBP to ramp exercise testing are reported for the first time. AT, peak VO2, and VO2 at each stage are shown for a healthy population. Some of these parameters were influenced by weight, gender, and age, as well as mode of exercise and the protocol used. These results provide useful reference values for interpreting the results of cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sakakibara Heart Institute, Tokyo, Japan. itoh@cepp.ne.jp
authors.forename: Haruki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ajisaka
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Makita
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omiya
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagayama
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015308:Anaerobic Threshold; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D012016:Reference Values; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013599:Systole; D055815:Young Adult