Dalakoti Mayank, Long Cheryl, Bains Arshia, Djohan Andie, Ahmad Isabel, Chan Siew Pang, Kua Jieli, Chan Po Fun, Yeo Tee Joo
National University Heart Centre, Singapore, Singapore.
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Front Physiol. 2022 May 24;13:913974. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.913974. eCollection 2022.
Mask wearing is an essential strategy to combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Some individuals may wear masks during physical activity to reduce disease transmission. This study aimed to investigate the real-world effect of wearing a surgical face mask on physiological parameters at peak exercise in healthy individuals. In this crossover design study, participants underwent maximal treadmill electrocardiogram exercise tests using the Bruce protocol on two separate occasions, once with a standard 3-ply surgical face mask and once without. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, rate pressure product, metabolic equivalents (METS) and total exercise time were measured. Subjective rate of perceived exertion was also assessed using the modified Borg Scale. 50 adults (mean age = 31.7 ± 6.5 years; 27 males) completed both treadmill tests. Mask wearing resulted in a significant reduction in peak METS by 1.5 units, maximum speed by 0.5 km/h, exercise time by 68.4 s with a significantly lower peak heart rate by 4.4 bpm, and lower percentage of age-predicted maximum heart rate by 2.5% ( < 0.001 for all parameters). During each corresponding stage of the Bruce protocol, the average modified Borg score was found to be significantly higher in subjects exercising with mask after adjusting for age, gender and body mass index ( < 0.03). In a cohort of healthy individuals, wearing of a surgical face mask during maximal treadmill exercise lead to reduced physical performance and increased rate of perceived exertion. Individuals exercising with surgical masks need to be mindful of these limitations while undergoing physical training in order to differentiate these physiological responses from symptoms of early respiratory illness.
佩戴口罩是对抗新冠病毒传播的一项重要策略。一些人可能在体育活动期间佩戴口罩以减少疾病传播。本研究旨在调查佩戴外科口罩对健康个体运动峰值时生理参数的实际影响。在这项交叉设计研究中，参与者在两个不同场合使用布鲁斯方案进行最大跑步机心电图运动测试，一次佩戴标准三层外科口罩，一次不戴。测量心率、血氧饱和度、血压、心率血压乘积、代谢当量（METS）和总运动时间。还使用改良的博格量表评估主观用力感觉率。50名成年人（平均年龄 = 31.7 ± 6.5岁；27名男性）完成了两项跑步机测试。佩戴口罩导致峰值代谢当量显著降低1.5个单位，最大速度降低0.5公里/小时，运动时间减少68.4秒，峰值心率显著降低4.4次/分钟，年龄预测最大心率百分比降低2.5%（所有参数P < 0.001）。在布鲁斯方案的每个相应阶段，在调整年龄、性别和体重指数后，发现佩戴口罩运动的受试者平均改良博格评分显著更高（P < 0.03）。在一组健康个体中，在最大跑步机运动期间佩戴外科口罩会导致体能下降和用力感觉率增加。佩戴外科口罩运动的个体在进行体育训练时需要注意这些限制，以便将这些生理反应与早期呼吸道疾病的症状区分开来。
