[Physical work capacity among the early manifestations of cerebral atherosclerosis].

A bicycle ergometric study of 54 males, aged 40-59 years, suffering from atherosclerotic dyscirculatory encephalopathy of Stage I-II and of 57 age-matched healthy males showed a considerable decrease in exercise tolerance of the patients. The fall in their capacity for physical work was attended by an inadequate hemodynamic response toward exercise in the form of a faster increase of the heart rate and a greater elevation of the arterial pressure. It is pointed out that level of exercise and the nature in which it is ensured hemodynamically may serve as additional criteria in assessing the functional potentialities of the cardiovascular system in early manifestations of cerebral atherosclerosis.