Takken T, Bongers BC, van Brussel M, Haapala EA, Hulzebos EH

Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017 Apr 11. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201611-912FR. [Epub ahead
of print] (Article from Netherlands)

Aerobic fitness is an important determinant of overall health. Higher aerobic
fitness has been associated with many health benefits. Because myocardial
ischemia is rare in children, indications for exercise testing differ in children
compared to adults. Pediatric exercise testing is imperative to unravel the
physiological mechanisms of a reduced aerobic fitness and to evaluate
intervention effects in children and adolescents with a chronic disease or
disability. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing includes the measurement of
respiratory gas exchange and is the gold standard for determining aerobic
fitness, as well as for examining the integrated physiological responses to
exercise in pediatric medicine. As the physiological responses to exercise change
during growth and development, appropriate pediatric reference values are
essential for an adequate interpretation of the cardiopulmonary exercise test.