Revista Brasileira de Cineantropometria e Desempenho Humano (Dec 2018)

Prevalence of exercise intolerance in obese adults undergoing cardiopulmonary exercise testing

  • Agatha Caveda Matheus,
  • Evandro Fornias Sperandio,
  • Vinicius Tonon Lauria,
  • Rodrigo Pereira da Silva,
  • Antonio Ricardo de Toledo Gagliardi,
  • Marcello Romiti,
  • Rodolfo Leite Arantes,
  • Victor Zuniga Dourado

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2018v20n5p412
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 5
pp. 412 – 421

Abstract

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We hypothesized that the prevalence of exercise intolerance (EI, peak O2 uptake < 83%pred.) is not significantly affected by body mass index (BMI) in adults undergoing cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of EI and the influence of BMI in asymptomatic adults. The results of 780 adults (age 41 ± 13 years) who underwent CPET were evaluated. Participants were stratified according to BMI: normal weight (n = 227), overweight (n = 198), and obese class 1 (n = 155), 2 (n = 131), and 3 (n = 69). After cardiovascular risk assessment, the participants underwent CPET on a treadmill ramp protocol. The prevalence of EI was 20, 16, 21, 25, and 21% in the stratified groups respectively, and no significant differences were found. Predictors of EI were physical inactivity, age, and smoking. The prevalence of EI in asymptomatic adults is considerable, regardless of BMI. The obesity-related reduction in cardiorespiratory fitness seems to be as clinically relevant as in non-obese counterparts.

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