Incidence of exercise‐induced arterial hypoxemia in prepubescent females

Due to the recent discovery of exercise‐induced arterial hypoxemia (EIAH) in healthy active women with normal levels of peak oxygen uptake ( ${\rm V'}_{{\rm O}_{\rm 2} {\rm peak}}$ ), this study examined the incidence of EIAH in prepubescent females. Nineteen healthy, active, prepubescent females ( ${\rm \overline X}$  ± SD: age = 11.1 ± 1.6 years; height = 145.8 ± 9.1 cm; weight = 35.6 ± 7.0 kg) performed a progressive maximal exercise test on an electronically braked cycle ergometer starting at 0 W and increasing power by 15 W · min −1 . During this test, expired gases, heart rate (HR), and percent arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation (%SaO 2 ) were measured. Results for physiological variables at maximal exercise were as follows: ${\rm V'}_{{\rm O}_{\rm 2} {\rm peak}}$  = 43.7 ± 7.0 ml · kg −1  · min −1 ; HR max  = 199 ± 5 beats · min −1 ; %SaO 2  = 96.6 ± 1.2%. For nearly all subjects, the %SaO 2 at maximal exercise was above levels that would reduce ${\rm V'}_{{\rm O}_{\rm 2} {\rm peak}}$ . Therefore, in comparison to previous reports of EIAH in adult women with similar ${\rm V'}_{{\rm O}_{\rm 2} {\rm peak}}$ , EIAH does not appear to occur in the prepubescent female population. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002; 34:37–41. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.