Influence of age, sex, body size, smoking, and β blockade on key gas exchange exercise parameters in an adult population:

Aims Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a widely applied clinical procedure. There is uncertainty to what extent nutritional status, β blockers and smoking should be taken into account in the interpretation of exercise parameters to describe abnormality. This study planned to consider the impact of these factors on CPET values and develop reference equations on the basis of a large-scale population-based survey.Methods and results An incremental cycle exercise protocol was applied to 1708 volunteers. Individuals with structural heart disease, echocardiographic or lung function pathologies were excluded. Age, height, weight, smoking, and β blockers were analysed for their influencing power in each sex. Reference values of CPET parameters were determined by regression analyses. The final study sample consisted of 1203 volunteers (626 female), aged 25–85 years. Exercise capacity, gas exchange, and ventilatory efficiency for carbon dioxide removal were significantly dependent on sex, age, height, weig...