| Chronic exposure to tobacco smoking may damage lung and heart
function. The aim of this study was to assess maximal exercise capacity
and its relationship with lung function in apparently healthy smokers. We
recruited 15 heavy smokers (age 47 years ± 7, BMI 25 kg/m2 ± 3, pack/years
32 ± 9) without any cardiovascular or pulmonary signs and symptoms. Fifteen
healthy non smoking subjects were enrolled as a control group. All subjects
underwent pulmonary function tests, electrocardiograms at rest and graded
cycle exercise tests. In smokers and controls, resting lung and cardiac
function parameters were in the normal range, apart from diffusing lung
capacity (TLCO) values which were significantly lower in smokers (p <
0.05). As compared to controls, smokers presented lower maximal exercise
capacity with lower values at peak of exercise of oxygen uptake (peak VO2),
workload, oxygen uptake/watt ratio and oxygen pulse (p < 0.05) and higher
dyspnoea perception (p < 0.05). Moreover, peak VO2, maximal
workload and oxygen pulse at peak exercise were related to and predicted
by TLCO (p < 0. 05). Our study confirms that maximal exercise capacity
is reduced in apparently healthy heavy smokers, and shows that TLCO explains
some of the variance in maximal exercise.
Key words: Tobacco, lung function, exercise capacity, lung diffusion
capacity.
|
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Marina Aiello, Marco Colella, Alessia Verduri, Emilio Marangio, Dario Olivieri
and Alfredo Chetta