Abstract
We evaluated the exercise capacity in 52 patients with chronic lung diseases (39 male/13 female, age 66.2±8.8 years old, PaO2≥60 Torr) using a treadmill exercise test. The arterial saturation of oxygen (SpO2) was monitored continuously by a pulse oxymeter. The total course of 15 minutes (5 stages, each stage 3min) was completed in 57.7% of all patients. Exercise was stopped because of SpO2≤85% (n=9), dyspnea (n=5), and leg fatigue (n=4). When the cases of pulmonary tuberculosis sequelle (PTB, n=28) were compared with the cases of chronic pulmonary emphysema (CPE, n=15), the exercise time was not significantly different. However PaO2 after exercise was significantly lower in PTB than in CPE (63.9±12.7 Torr vs 77.5±1.4 Torr, p<0.001), although PaO2 before exercise was similar in both groups. The exercise time of patients who showed hypoxemia (SpO2≤85%) after exercise was significantly lengthened by the supplemental oxygen (723±161 sec vs 826±112 sec, p<0.001).
