Treadmill exercise in Neapolitan children and adolescents

Abstract

Two hundred and eighty healthy children from Naples, Italy (140 boys and 140 girls) aged 4-17 years were studied using Bruce walking treadmill protocol to voluntary exhaustion. Endurance time and double product increased with age. Systolic blood pressure increased linearly during the test. Multivariate analysis showed that body weight and age were the best predictors of endurance time. Endurance time averaged 15.2 +/- 2.8 min in boys and 13.7 +/- 2.3 min in girls (p = 0.00001). Mean +/- SD double product at peak exercise was 264.3 +/- 63 (boys) and 242 +/- 44 (girls) (p = 0.01). Sinus arrhythmia was present in 78% of the children and disappeared at a mean heart rate of 112 +/- 16 beats/min during exercise. The voltage of the R wave on V4 lead decreased in all but four children during the test (delta R = -0.25 +/- 0.24 mV). The P and T waves increased in almost all children. No ST depression or upward sloping was detected. The voltage of the PR isoelectric line remained constant. The J point was displaced downwards in 78% of children, unchanged in 11% and displaced upwards in the remaining 11% of the children. The present study gives reference parameters for a walking treadmill test in Southern European children.

Pressão arterial em adolescentes durante teste ergométrico

“…Studies conducted with children and adolescents using the Bruce protocol 5,12,19,22 showed higher SBP levels than those observed in this study, even for those who used a similar BP measurement method. The greater BP levels were reported in studies that used an automatic measurement method 19,22 .…”

“…Mafulli et al 12 and Ahmad et al 22 reported similar findings on the behavior of SBP at rest. However, other authors 19,20 did not identify differences between genders.…”

“…Studies conducted with children and adolescents using the Bruce protocol have consistently reported a SAP behavior similar to that observed in adults, i.e., a rise in tension levels with exercise 5,12,19,20,22 . However, these same studies are controversial as to DBP behavior.…”

“…The importance of knowing the arterial pressure response to exercise in children and adolescents has been the focus of several studies in many countries, and these have confirmed that there are differences when diverse populations are compared 5,12,[19][20][21][22][23] . Some of these differences can be attributed also to the different methodologies and test protocols used.…”

“…Most studies with children and adolescents are performed on a treadmill according to the Bruce protocol 5,11,12 , but many do not report data on the arterial blood pressure response.…”