Does wearing a facemask decrease arterial blood oxygenation and impair exercise tolerance?
Respir Physiol Neurobiol
; 294: 103765, 2021 12.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1336881
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Concerns have been raised that COVID-19 face coverings compromise lung function and pulmonary gas exchange to the extent that they produce arterial hypoxemia and hypercapnia during high intensity exercise resulting in exercise intolerance in recreational exercisers. This study therefore aimed to investigate the effects of a surgical, flannel or vertical-fold N95 masks on cardiorespiratory responses to incremental exercise.METHODS:
This investigation studied 11 adult males and females at rest and while performing progressive cycle exercise to exhaustion. We tested the hypotheses that wearing a surgical (S), flannel (F) or horizontal-fold N95 mask compared to no mask (control) would not promote arterial deoxygenation or exercise intolerance nor alter primary cardiovascular variables during submaximal or maximal exercise.RESULTS:
Despite the masks significantly increasing end-expired peri-oral %CO2 and reducing %O2, each â¼0.8-2% during exercise (P < 0.05), our results supported the hypotheses. Specifically, none of these masks reduced sub-maximal or maximal exercise arterial O2 saturation (P = 0.744), but ratings of dyspnea were significantly increased (P = 0.007). Moreover, maximal exercise capacity was not compromised nor were there any significant alterations of primary cardiovascular responses (mean arterial pressure, stroke volume, cardiac output) found during sub-maximal exercise.CONCLUSION:
Whereas these results are for young healthy recreational male and female exercisers and cannot be applied directly to elite athletes, older or patient populations, they do support that arterial hypoxemia and exercise intolerance are not the obligatory consequences of COVID-19-indicated mask-wearing at least for cycling exercise.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Oxygen
/
Exercise Tolerance
/
COVID-19
/
Masks
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Respir Physiol Neurobiol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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