Exercise intolerance and chronotropic impairment—The long-term cardiovascular sequelae of mustard gas exposure: A paired-comparative study

BackgroundAlthough there are some data regarding the pulmonary manifestations of mustard gas exposure, little is known about its cardiovascular sequelae.MethodsThe spirometric and exercise tolerance test results of two groups of patients with chronic bronchitis one with (group A) and one without (group B) previous exposure to mustard gas and a group of veterans with no bronchitis (group C) were compared.ResultsThe exercise capacity was similar in groups “A” and “B” patients. Both groups, showed a remarkable impairment of exercise capacity (p < 0.001) compared to the group “C” individuals. Although the mean resting heart rate was significantly higher in group “A” patients than group “B” individuals (p = 0.01), their mean peak exercise heart rate was significantly lower (p = 0.01). Both groups, however, achieved a significant lower peak exercise heart rates, compared to the group “C” subjects (p < 0.001).ConclusionMustard gas exposure can limit the exercise capacity and abolish the normally expected chronotropic response to exercise.