Ageing and endurance training effects on quantity and quality of pulmonary vascular bed in healthy men

Ghanima Al Dandachi,Christophe Delclaux,François-Denis Desgorces,Cécile Londner,Brigitte Chevalier-Bidaud,Aurore Caumont-Prim,Jean-François Toussaint,Laurent Plantier

doi:10.1186/1465-9921-15-8

Abstract

It has recently been demonstrated that in healthy individuals, peak oxygen consumption is associated with a greater pulmonary capillary blood volume and a more distensible pulmonary circulation. Our cross-sectional study suggests that, in healthy men aged 20 to 60 years (n = 63), endurance sport practice (vigorous-intensity domain of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire) is associated with better quantity (pulmonary capillary blood volume) and quality (slope of increase in lung diffusion for carbon monoxide on exercise) of the pulmonary vascular bed, partly counterbalancing the deleterious effects of ageing, which remains to be demonstrated in a prospective longitudinal design.

Highlights

It has recently been demonstrated that in healthy individuals, peak oxygen consumption is associated with a greater pulmonary capillary blood volume and a more distensible pulmonary circulation
One can calculate that capillary blood volume available for gas exchange (VC) would be zero around 100 years [7]. We enrolled both inactive and active healthy men to evaluate whether physical activity and age were correlated with VC at rest and with the increase in lung diffusion of carbon monoxide (CO) (DLCO) on exercise
Physical activity was evaluated using the French version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ, long form) [8] that evaluates vigorous, moderate and walking activity domains

Summary

Introduction

It has recently been demonstrated that in healthy individuals, peak oxygen consumption is associated with a greater pulmonary capillary blood volume and a more distensible pulmonary circulation.

Methods

Results

Conclusion