Aerobic capacity in persons with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

PURPOSE

To systematically review studies assessing (1) psychometric properties of the maximal oxygen uptake (VO) test in PD, (2) VO levels in persons with PD (pwPD) compared to healthy controls (HCs), and (3) reported VO associations in PD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Six databases were searched. Descriptive data synthesis was used to summarize psychometric properties and reported VO associations. The VO means and test end-criteria were calculated using linear mixed models. Simple linear regression was used for associations.

RESULTS

The review included 25 studies. Psychometric properties of the VO test, reported in one study, showed intraclass correlations of 0.90-0.94 for VO. Thirteen studies reported test end-criteria, with only mean respiratory exchange ratio (on medication) and percentage of predicted maximal heart rate (off medication) fulfilling standardized minimum values for the VO test. The VO was comparable between pwPD and HC as well as between different PD-medication states. Associations between VO and age, sex, and fatigue were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

In mildly to moderately affected pwPD, limited evidence exists on the psychometric properties of the VO test and end-criteria were sparsely reported. Surprisingly, VO was comparable between pwPD and HC as well as between different PD-medication states, and only age, sex, and fatigue were associated with VO. Implications for rehabilitationIn mildly to moderately affected persons with PD (pwPD), only one study has examined psychometric properties of the VO test, reporting excellent test-retest reliability.A general lack of consistency on how to measure and report VO end-criteria was observed, but when reported, the end-criteria were most often not met.No difference was found in VO between mildly to moderately affected pwPD and HC, or between pwPD across different medication states.The identified negative association between VO and fatigue suggests aerobic exercise as a potential symptomatic treatment of fatigue when rehabilitation professionals are treating pwPD.