MADRID, 13 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Climbing four flights of stairs (60 steps) in less than a minute indicates good heart health, according to research by the A Coruña University Hospital presented at ‘EACVI – Best of Imaging 2020’, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology ( ESC, for its acronym in English).
“The ladder test is an easy way to check your heart health. If it takes you more than a minute and a half to climb four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to see a doctor,” explains the study author, Dr. Jesús Peteiro.
This study was conducted to examine the relationship between daily activity (ie stair climbing) and the results obtained from exercise tests in a laboratory. “The idea was to find a simple and inexpensive method to assess heart health. This can help doctors classify patients for more extensive examinations,” Peteiro details.
The study included 165 patients referred for exercise testing due to known or suspected coronary artery disease. Symptoms included chest pain or shortness of breath during exertion. The participants walked or ran on a treadmill, gradually increasing the intensity and continuing until exhaustion. Exercise capacity was measured as metabolic equivalents (MET). After resting for 15 to 20 minutes, the patients were asked to climb four flights of stairs (60 steps) at a rapid pace without stopping, but also without running, and the time was recorded.
The researchers analyzed the relationship between METs achieved during exercise tests and the time it took to climb four flights of stairs. Patients who climbed the stairs in less than 40-45 seconds achieved more than 9-10 METs. Previous studies have shown that 10 METs during an exercise test are associated with a low mortality rate (1% or less per year, or 10% in 10 years). In contrast, patients who took 1.5 minutes or more to climb the stairs achieved fewer than 8 METs, which translates to a mortality rate of 2 to 4 percent per year, or 30 percent in 10 years.
During the treadmill test, the researchers also generated images of the heart to assess its function during exercise. If the heart works normally during exercise this indicates a low probability of coronary artery disease. They then compared these findings with the results of the stair climb.
About 58 percent of the patients who completed the stair climb in more than 1.5 minutes had abnormal heart function during the examination on the treadmill. In contrast, only 32 percent of those who climbed the stairs in less than a minute had abnormal heart function during the exam on the treadmill.
Peteiro highlights that the correlation between stair climbing time and exercise capacity (that is, METs) would be similar in the general population. But the corresponding mortality rates and cardiac function by imaging would be more favorable than for patients with symptoms and suspected or confirmed coronary artery disease.
–
