Positive exercise tolerance test (ETT) on asymptomatic Iranian cases aged over 60 years
S A Rezaii1, A Vasheghani Farahani, B Golestan
1Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Aim:
The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic importance of positive exercise treadmill test (ETT) in predicting coronary artery disease (CAD) among asymptomatic population based on coronary angiographic findings.
Methods:
The comparative study was conducted on a sample of over 60-year-old asymptomatic and symptomatic patients referred to our clinics for screening and clinical reasons between September 2006 and September 2007. All subjects with a positive ETT provided information about their cardiovascular risk factors through a validated questionnaire. The relationship between ETT performance and the CAD risk factors with coronary angiography were studied and compared between the two groups.
Results:
Seven hundred thirty one symptomatic and 160 asymptomatic individuals were enrolled in the study. In the symptomatic group, gender, blood pressure and diabetes were significantly related with the angiographic findings, while blood pressure failed to show such a relation in the asymptomatic group.
Conclusion:
There is an association between positive ETT and the presence of CAD among asymptomatic elderly men but also women with diabetes or high blood pressure.
