Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2023

Publication Title

Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases

Volume

76

Abstract

The severe health consequences of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have been exacerbated by the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as physical inactivity, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Further, policy decisions during the pandemic augmented unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and health inequalities, likely increasing the global disease burden. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a well-established biomarker associated with CVD risk. Emerging data demonstrate that high CRF offers some protection against severe outcomes from COVID-19 infection, highlighting the importance of CRF for population health and the potential for limiting the severity of future pandemics. CRF is best assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), which will be an important tool for understanding the prolonged pathophysiology of COVID-19, the emergence of long-COVID, and the lasting effects of COVID-19 on CVD risk. Utilization of CRF and CPET within clinical settings should become commonplace because of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

First Page

44

Last Page

48

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2022.12.001

Comments

Originally published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. 2023. Volume 76. Pages 44-48.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2022.12.001

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