Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42489397›Full record

ArticleClinical physiology and functional imaging2026

Normative reference equations for leg discomfort during incremental cardiopulmonary cycle exercise testing in older adults.

Rachelle Aucoin, Dennis Jensen, Michael Stickland, Andrew Brotto, Hayley Lewthwaite, Pei Zhi Li, Jean Bourbeau, Wan C Tan, Magnus Ekström, CanCOLD Collaborative Research Group

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In one paragraph

Article in Clinical physiology and functional imaging, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Rachelle AucoinRespiratory Epidemiology Team, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0392-5802
Dennis JensenClinical Exercise and Respiratory Physiology Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
Michael SticklandDivision of Pulmonary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, G.F. MacDonald Centre for Lung Health, Covenant Health, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Andrew BrottoDivision of Pulmonary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, G.F. MacDonald Centre for Lung Health, Covenant Health, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Hayley LewthwaiteUniSA: Allied Health and Human Performance, Innovation, Implementation and Clinical Translation in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
Pei Zhi LiMontreal Chest Institute, McGill University Health Center Research Institute, McGill University, Québec, Montréal, Canada.
Jean BourbeauTranslational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program and Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
Wan C TanDepartment of Medicine, University of British Columbia Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Magnus EkströmFaculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine, Allergology and Palliative Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
CanCOLD Collaborative Research Group

Funding

AlmirallAstraZeneca Canada LtdBoehringer Ingelheim Canada LtdCanadian Respiratory Research NetworkCIHR CIHR/Rx&D Collaborative Research Program Operating Grant 933Foundation of McGill University Health CentreGlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Canada LtdMerckNovartisRespiratory Health Research Network of the Fonds de la Recherche en Sante du Quebec
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLeg discomfort, assessed with the Borg category-ratio 0-10 (Borg CR10) scale, is a primary reason for exercise cessation in both health and disease. However, interpretation during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is limited by the absence of normative reference equations. PURPOSE: Develop normative reference equations for leg discomfort during CPET in relation to absolute and relative power output (W) and rate of oxygen uptake (V'O

methodsThis was a retrospective analysis of the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD) study. We included healthy males and females aged ≥40 years who completed symptom limited incremental cycle CPET. The probability of each Borg CR10 leg discomfort rating by W or V'O

resultsIn total, 156 participants (43% female) were included (mean age 64.8 years). The models demonstrated good discrimination in both internal and external validation (AUC 0.85-0.90), with similar performance across absolute and relative W and V'O

conclusionsWe present normative reference equations for leg discomfort during CPET. Although an ULN could not be established, these models enable grading and interpretation of leg discomfort relative to the predicted normal responses and facilitate comparisons across individuals and groups in both clinical and research settings.

Indexed as

Exercise TestLegAdultAgedAge FactorsCanadaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOxygen ConsumptionPredictive Value of TestsReference ValuesReproducibility of ResultsRetrospective Studiescardiopulmonary exercise testingexpected responsehealthy peopleleg discomfortnormative reference equations

Identifiers

PMID42489397
PMCPMC13393339

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.