Assessment of exercise capacity

Abstract

Exercise intolerance is a condition where the patient is unable to undertake physical exercise at the level and/or for the duration that would be expected of someone in his or her age and general physical condition. When this inability is triggered by impaired function of one or more of the physiological systems (i.e. central haemodynamic, respiratory, peripheral muscles), the result is the intensification of the perceptions of dyspnoea, often in conjunction with peripheral muscle discomfort that is often triggered by peripheral muscle fatigue [1].