Safety and feasibility of maximal physical testing in rheumatic diseases: a cross-sectional study with 5,910 assessments.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to report on the safety and feasibility of the application of maximal physical tests in a heterogeneous cohort of rheumatic patients. This is a 5-year retrospective descriptive report on the incidence of events associated with maximal physical testing from 536 patients, totalizing 5,910 tests. Tests were classified as cardiopulmonary, muscle strength, and physical functioning tests. Any adverse events during the tests and limiting factors incurring in tests cancellation were reported. Eighteen out of 641 cardiopulmonary exercise tests had an adverse occurrence, with cardiac disturbance (1.4% of total tests) being the most prevalent. Moreover, 14 out of 641 tests were not feasible. Out of 3,478 tests comprising leg press, bench press, knee extension, and handgrip tests, 15 tests had an adverse event. The most common occurrence was joint pain (0.4% of total tests), which was also the most frequent factor precluding testing (0.5% of total tests). Forty-five out of 3,478 (1.3%) of the tests were not feasible. There was a very low incidence of events (0.2%) during the physical functioning tests. Joint pain was the only adverse event during the tests, whereas physical limitations were the most important barriers for the execution of the tests (1.1% of total tests). The incidence of limiting events in this test was 1.6% (n = 29). This report brings new data on the safety and feasibility of maximal physical testing in rheumatic patients. The physical tests described in this study may be applied for testing rheumatic patients both in research and clinical setting.