Limited clinical value of exercise stress test for the screening of coronary artery disease in young, asymptomatic adult men

Abstract

The predictive value of exercise testing for detection of latent coronary artery disease (CAD) in the asymptomatic middle-aged population is controversial.1 The American Heart Association states that the treadmill stress test is warranted for subjects with a high-risk coronary profile, but not for apparently healthy persons.2 The predictive value of ST depression alone, without regard to other variables, is poor when the prevalence of CAD in the population sample is low.3 In such groups, the prevalence of false-positive exercise-induced ST changes is high. This retrospective study evaluates the significance of performing routine exercise stress testing in an asymptomatic male population, the clinical significance of a positive exercise stress test, and the yield from a myocardial perfusion study in this subgroup of subjects.