Previous studies indicate that physical performance, being a relevant prognostic parameter for cardiovascular events and mortality, decreases with age. Thus, the maintenance and restoration of physical performance as part of a rehabilitation program is of great interest. In the present study, 35 physically active participants, aged 58 - 78 years, were investigated by cardiopulmonary exercise testing. In comparison to matched participants drawn from an epidemiological study, there was no significant difference in performance g between the two groups. Additionally, oxygen kineticswere incrementally measured in order to evaluate a fairly simple procedure for determining fitness under activities of daily life. Surprisingly, this method did not reveal any clinically relevant association between oxygen kinetics and physical fitness.
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.