Does wearing a mask while exercising amid COVID-19 pandemic affect hemodynamic and hematologic function among healthy individuals? Implications of mask modality, sex, and exercise intensity

Ahmadian, Mehdi; Ghasemi, Mohammad; Borujeni, Nafiseh Nasrollahi; Afshan, Samaneh; Fallah, Masoumeh; Ayaseh, Hamed; Pahlavan, Mohammad; Chashmi, Seyedeh Maedeh Nabavi; haeri, tahereh; Imani, Fattaneh; Zahedmanesh, Foruzan; Akbari, Abolfazl; Nasiri, Khadijeh; Roshan, Valiollah Dabidi

doi:10.1080/00913847.2021.1922947

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(67 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Since dyspnea was not assessed at baseline in our study, but only during exercise, there was a “condition” main effect, where wearing the facemasks overall resulted in higher dyspnea scores, in spite of the lack of statistically significant interactions between condition and time. In addition, the different conditions of our study did not show relevant differences for O 2 saturation, although a reduction of O 2 saturation was usually observed during the 30-min steady-state test in accordance with other studies using moderate-to-high intensity physical exercises [11, 12, 14-16].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…These changes should be studied under exercise at LT intensity for more than 30 min. Regarding external validity, the low number of females must be considered as a limitation due to its possible influence on physiological parameters [16], and future studies should consider a paired matched sample for sex distribution. Despite we tried to get a balanced composition of both sexes (15 males and 15 females) according to the initial sample of the trial protocol (NCT04832893), 11 females did not receive baseline measurements nor the required interventions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Exercise Physiology at “Conversational Level” Is Not Impaired in Healthy Young Subjects Wearing Masks or Respirators

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the use of both surgical masks and FFP2 respirators on the inspiratory muscle strength, metabolic parameters, heart rate, subjective perceived exertion, and dyspnea perception, before and during 30 min stable load exercise at “conversational level”. Methods: A randomized cross-over study was carried out. Nineteen healthy adults completed 3 conditions (without a mask, with a surgical mask or an FFP2 respirator) during a 30-min steady-state test at the lactate threshold intensity. Inspiratory muscle strength was measured before and after the test, and metabolic parameters, heart rate, subjective perceived exertion, and dyspnea perception were collected at baseline, during, and after the test. Results: There was a significant reduction in inspiratory muscle strength after the 30-min test in all conditions (control: 6.26 mm Hg, p < 0.5; surgical mask: 8.55 mm Hg, p < 0.01; FFP2 respirator: 12.42 mm Hg, p < 0.001), but without significant differences between them (p = 0.283). Data showed a statistically significant effect for time, but did not show a statistically significant interaction between condition and time for heart rate (p = 0.674), oxygen saturation (p = 0.297), blood lactate level (p = 0.991), rating perceived exertion (p = 0.734) and dyspnea (p = 0.532) comparisons. Conclusions: The present study findings suggested that inspiratory muscle strength and physiological parameters during “conversational level” exercise were not impaired under wearing masks in healthy, nonsmoking young adults.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exercise Physiology at “Conversational Level” Is Not Impaired in Healthy Young Subjects Wearing Masks or Respirators

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our main modality of testing was the exercise treadmill. This modality of exercise stress was also used by Driver and Ahmadian ( Ahmadian et al, 2021 ), while other studies by Epstein and Egger have used the cycle ergometry exercise test. Earlier studies have shown that exercise treadmill testing typically produces a higher heart rate response compared to cycle ergometry ( Niederberger et al, 1974 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Surgical Mask use on Peak Physical Performance During Exercise Treadmill Testing-A Real World, Crossover Study

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Mask wearing is an essential strategy to combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Some individuals may wear masks during physical activity to reduce disease transmission. This study aimed to investigate the real-world effect of wearing a surgical face mask on physiological parameters at peak exercise in healthy individuals.Methods: In this crossover design study, participants underwent maximal treadmill electrocardiogram exercise tests using the Bruce protocol on two separate occasions, once with a standard 3-ply surgical face mask and once without. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, rate pressure product, metabolic equivalents (METS) and total exercise time were measured. Subjective rate of perceived exertion was also assessed using the modified Borg Scale.Results: 50 adults (mean age = 31.7 ± 6.5 years; 27 males) completed both treadmill tests. Mask wearing resulted in a significant reduction in peak METS by 1.5 units, maximum speed by 0.5 km/h, exercise time by 68.4 s with a significantly lower peak heart rate by 4.4 bpm, and lower percentage of age-predicted maximum heart rate by 2.5% (p < 0.001 for all parameters). During each corresponding stage of the Bruce protocol, the average modified Borg score was found to be significantly higher in subjects exercising with mask after adjusting for age, gender and body mass index (p < 0.03).Conclusion: In a cohort of healthy individuals, wearing of a surgical face mask during maximal treadmill exercise lead to reduced physical performance and increased rate of perceived exertion. Individuals exercising with surgical masks need to be mindful of these limitations while undergoing physical training in order to differentiate these physiological responses from symptoms of early respiratory illness.

show abstract

“…While some studies on heart rate variability with mask use indicated that mask use had no effect on heart rate [ 21 , 23 , 24 ], Li et al reported that the use of N95 affected heart rate variability [ 25 ]. In our study, the HR peak was not different in the masked and unmasked test in females; it was found to be lower in males with mask use.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maximal exercise outcomes with a face mask: the effects of gender and age differences on cardiorespiratory responses

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Does wearing a mask while exercising amid COVID-19 pandemic affect hemodynamic and hematologic function among healthy individuals? Implications of mask modality, sex, and exercise intensity

Abstract: Roshan (2021): Does wearing a mask while exercising amid COVID-19 pandemic affect hemodynamic and hematologic function among healthy individuals? Implications of mask modality, sex, and exercise intensity, The Physician and Sportsmedicine,

Cited by 22 publications

References 60 publications

Exercise Physiology at “Conversational Level” Is Not Impaired in Healthy Young Subjects Wearing Masks or Respirators

Exercise Physiology at “Conversational Level” Is Not Impaired in Healthy Young Subjects Wearing Masks or Respirators

Effect of Surgical Mask use on Peak Physical Performance During Exercise Treadmill Testing-A Real World, Crossover Study

Maximal exercise outcomes with a face mask: the effects of gender and age differences on cardiorespiratory responses

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About