Exercise Hemodynamics and Sex-Specific Data in Asymptomatic Adults: An Exploratory Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Exercise Physiology
• Echocardiography

Background:

• Understanding normal exercise hemodynamics is crucial for evaluating exertional dyspnea.
• Exercise echocardiography provides insights into cardiovascular responses during physical activity.
• This study focused on asymptomatic individuals without known cardiovascular disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate exercise hemodynamics in asymptomatic middle-aged to older adults.
• To establish reference values for exercise echocardiography parameters in this population.
• To identify potential sex-specific differences in hemodynamic responses to exercise.

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 30 individuals aged 45-75 years without dyspnea or significant heart/lung disease.
• Symptom-limited bicycle exercise echocardiography was performed.
• Exclusion criteria included left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50%.

Main Results:

• 28 participants completed the study (mean age 61 ± 8 years, 50% female).
• Average E/e' ratio increased from 8.3 at rest to 9.7 at 75 W (p=0.001).
• Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) rose from 23.0 mmHg at rest to 41.2 mmHg at 75 W (p<0.001), with females showing a greater increase (45.5 mmHg vs 36.8 mmHg).

Conclusions:

• Asymptomatic older adults exhibit modest increases in left ventricular filling pressure and SPAP during exercise.
• Mean E/e' and SPAP at peak exercise remained below established thresholds.
• Significant sex-specific differences were observed in SPAP response to exercise, with females showing a more pronounced elevation.