30 May 2022 : Clinical Research
Effects of Wearing Face Masks on Exercise Capacity and Ventilatory Anaerobic Threshold in Healthy Subjects During the COVID-19 Epidemic
Qiang Lin
1BCDEF, Yuxing Cai1BC, Changjun Yu2BC, Wei Gu3CD, Yan Tan3CD, Li Wang3CD, Anliang Chen1F, Kai Cheng1F, Ting Meng4F, Xueping Li1AG*
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.936069
Med Sci Monit 2022; 28:e936069
Table 4 Comparison of demographic and physiological characteristics, and delta indicators at VAT after subgrouping.
| VS Group (n=20) | VA Group (n=14) | P value* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (year) | 24.3±3.9 | 22.2±2.7 | 0.095 |
| Male/Female (%) | 60/40 | 42.9/57.1 | 0.324 |
| BMI (kg/m) | 21.8±3.6 | 21.6±4.0 | 0.915 |
| FVC (%predicted) | 85.1±9.8 | 88.9±6.1 | 0.207 |
| FEV1 (%predicted) | 86.4±9.6 | 87.8±8.6 | 0.669 |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | 87.4±7.0 | 85.6±6.1 | 0.436 |
| PEF (%predicted) | 84.9±18.9 | 78.4±16.3 | 0.306 |
| δHR (bpm) | −1.5±7.8 | −10.6±10.6 | 0.007 |
| δVE (l/min) | −2.6±2.5 | −6.0±3.7 | 0.004 |
| δVT (l/min) | 0.1±0.18 | −0.09±0.27 | 0.021 |
| δBF (bpm) | −4.1±2.2 | −3.6±3.4 | 0.674 |
| δVD/VT | −0.08±0.07 | −0.05±0.05 | 0.133 |
| δVE/VCO | −2.95±2.63 | −1.14±1.79 | 0.033 |
| δPETCO (mmHg) | 1.7±2.7 | −1.0±2.4 | 0.004 |
| Data are presented as mean±SD unless otherwise indicated; Delta index represents the index of exercise test with a mask minus the corresponding index of exercise test without a mask. * values for group test between the VS group and the VA group. VAT – ventilatory anaerobic threshold; VS Group – stable VAT group; VA Group – advanced VAT group; BMI – Body Mass Index; FVC – Forced Vital Capacity; FEV1 – Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second; FEV1/FVC – the percentage of the FVC expired in one second; PEF – Peak Expiratory Flow; HR – heart rate; VE – ventilation per minute; VT – tidal volume; BF – breath frequency; VD/VT – dead space ratio; VE/VCO – carbon dioxide ventilation equivalent; PETCO – end-tidal CO pressure. | |||