Metabolic implications during a 20-km run after heart transplantation

The aim of the present study was to evaluate a heart transplanted patient who ran a 20-km race 9 months after surgery. Thirty-six healthy male subjects were studied during the same run and served as control group. Biochemical variables were determined in blood and urine samples collected before and after the race. Post-exercise blood urea increased by 23% (P less than 0.05) in the control group but remained unchanged in the patient. Blood lactate increased far more in the transplanted patient (7.07 mmol/L) than in the control subjects (2.53 mmol/L). The exercise induced a 5.46- and 0.67-fold increase in creatine phosphokinase activity in the transplanted patient and control group, respectively. The creatinine and urea urinary excretion and clearance decreased by 40%-60% after exercise for all subjects. It may be concluded that the heart transplanted patient responded for most registered variables in the same way as normal subjects, but some differences occurred on the renal side due to the use of an immunosuppressive drug.