Effects of pre-term birth on the cardio-respiratory responses to hypoxic exercise in children

Narang, Benjamin J. (author), Manferdelli, Giorgio (author), Kepic, Katja (author), Sotiridis, Alexandros (author), Osredkar, Damjan (author), Bourdillon, Nicolas (author), Millet, Grégoire P. (author), Debevec, Tadej (author)

Pre-term birth is associated with numerous cardio-respiratory sequelae in children. Whether these impairments impact the responses to exercise in normoxia or hypoxia remains to be established. Fourteen prematurely-born (PREM) (Mean ± SD; gestational age 29 ± 2 weeks; age 9.5 ± 0.3 years), and 15 full-term children (CONT) (gestational age 39 ± 1 weeks; age 9.7 ± 0.9 years), underwent incremental exercise tests to exhaustion in normoxia (FiO$_2$ = 20.9%) and normobaric hypoxia (FiO$_2$ = 13.2%) on a cycle ergometer. Cardio-respiratory variables were measured throughout. Peak power output was higher in normoxia than hypoxia (103 ± 17 vs. 77 ± 18 W; p < 0.001), with no difference between CONT and PREM (94 ± 23 vs. 86 ± 19 W; p = 0.154). VO$_2$peak was higher in normoxia than hypoxia in CONT (50.8 ± 7.2 vs. 43.8 ± 9.9 mL·kg$^{−1}$·min$^{−1}$; p < 0.001) but not in PREM (48.1 ± 7.5 vs. 45.0 ± 6.8 mL·kg$^{−1}$·min$^{−1}$; p = 0.137; interaction p = 0.044). Higher peak heart rate (187 ± 11 vs. 180 ± 10 bpm; p = 0.005) and lower stroke volume (72 ± 13 vs. 77 ± 14 mL; p = 0.004) were observed in normoxia versus hypoxia in CONT, with no such differences in PREM (p = 0.218 and >0.999, respectively). In conclusion, premature birth does not appear to exacerbate the negative effect of hypoxia on exercise capacity in children. Further research is warranted to identify whether prematurity elicits a protective effect, and to clarify the potential underlying mechanisms.

• Language: English
• Keywords: altitude, children, hypoxia, exercise capacity, prematurity
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, iss. 1, art. 79
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-136744
• UDC: 612
• ISSN on article: 2075-1729
• DOI: 10.3390/life12010079
• COBISS.SI-ID: 92421891
• Publication date in RUL: 19.05.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Life
• Shortened title: Life
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2075-1729
• COBISS.SI-ID: 519982617

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 06.01.2022

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: nadmorska višina, otroci, hipoksija

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J3-7536
• Name: Kardiorespiratorni odzivi med hipoksično vadbo pri prezgodaj rojenih posameznikih

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: N5-0152
• Name: Mehanizmi hipoksične (in)tolerance pri predčasno rojenih posameznikih