Abstract
The purpose of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in the obese person, as in any cardiopulmonary exercise test, is to determine the patient's exercise tolerance, and to help identify and/or distinguish between the various physiological factors that could contribute to exercise intolerance. Unexplained dyspnoea on exertion is a common reason for CPET, but it is an extremely complex symptom to explain. Sometimes obesity is the simple answer by elimination of other possibilities. Thus, distinguishing among multiple clinical causes for exertional dyspnoea depends on the ability to eliminate possibilities while recognising response patterns that are unique to the obese patient. This includes the otherwise healthy obese patient, as well as the obese patient with potentially multiple cardiopulmonary limitations. Despite obvious limitations in lung function, metabolic disease and/or cardiovascular dysfunction, obesity may be the most likely reason for exertional dyspnoea. In this article, we will review the more common cardiopulmonary responses to exercise in the otherwise healthy obese adult with special emphasis on dyspnoea on exertion.
Abstract
Obesity alone and/or as a confounding factor may contribute to DOE requiring careful assessment during CPET http://ow.ly/Secp305mId2
Footnotes
Other articles in this series: No. 1: Dubé B-P, Agostoni P, Laveneziana P. Exertional dyspnoea in chronic heart failure: the role of the lung and respiratory mechanical factors. Eur Respir Rev 2016; 25: 317–332. No. 2: O'Donnell DE, Elbehairy AF, Faisal A, et al. Exertional dyspnoea in COPD: the clinical utility of cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Eur Respir Rev 2016; 25: 333–347.
Support statement: This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grant HL096782), King Charitable Foundation Trust, Cain Foundation and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Open Funder Registry.
Conflict of interest: None declared.
Provenance: Submitted article, peer reviewed.
- Received August 17, 2016.
- Accepted October 12, 2016.
- Copyright ©ERS 2016.
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