@article{3033702,
    title = "Effects of Pre-Term Birth on the Cardio-Respiratory Responses to Hypoxic
Exercise in Children",
    author = "Narang, Benjamin J. and Manferdelli, Giorgio and Kepic, Katja and and Sotiridis, Alexandros and Osredkar, Damjan and Bourdillon, Nicolas and and Millet, Gregoire P. and Debevec, Tadej",
    journal = "LIFE-BASEL",
    year = "2022",
    volume = "12",
    number = "1",
    publisher = "MDPI",
    doi = "10.3390/life12010079",
    keywords = "altitude; children; exercise capacity; hypoxia; prematurity",
    abstract = "Pre-term birth is associated with numerous cardio-respiratory sequelae
in children. Whether these impairments impact the responses to exercise
in normoxia or hypoxia remains to be established. Fourteen
prematurely-born (PREM) (Mean +/- SD; gestational age 29 +/- 2 weeks;
age 9.5 +/- 0.3 years), and 15 full-term children (CONT) (gestational
age 39 +/- 1 weeks; age 9.7 +/- 0.9 years), underwent incremental
exercise tests to exhaustion in normoxia (FiO(2) = 20.9%) and
normobaric hypoxia (FiO(2) = 13.2%) on a cycle ergometer.
Cardio-respiratory variables were measured throughout. Peak power output
was higher in normoxia than hypoxia (103 +/- 17 vs. 77 +/- 18 W; p <
0.001), with no difference between CONT and PREM (94 +/- 23 vs. 86 +/-
19 W; p = 0.154). VO(2)peak was higher in normoxia than hypoxia in CONT
(50.8 +/- 7.2 vs. 43.8 +/- 9.9 mL center dot kg(-1)center dot min(-1); p
< 0.001) but not in PREM (48.1 +/- 7.5 vs. 45.0 +/- 6.8 mL center dot
kg(-1)center dot min(-1); p = 0.137; interaction p = 0.044). Higher peak
heart rate (187 +/- 11 vs. 180 +/- 10 bpm; p = 0.005) and lower stroke
volume (72 +/- 13 vs. 77 +/- 14 mL; p = 0.004) were observed in normoxia
versus hypoxia in CONT, with no such differences in PREM (p = 0.218 and
>0.999, respectively). In conclusion, premature birth does not appear to
exacerbate the negative effect of hypoxia on exercise capacity in
children. Further research is warranted to identify whether prematurity
elicits a protective effect, and to clarify the potential underlying
mechanisms."
}