Cardiorespiratory Fitness as a Quantitative Predictor of All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Events in Healthy Men and Women

Abstract

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of disability and premature death throughout the world.¹ Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an inverse association between physical fitness and the incidence of CHD or all-cause mortality in healthy or asymptomatic participants. Physical fitness is typically expressed as cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and is assessed by exercise tolerance testing²; however, it is rare for clinicians to consider CRF when evaluating future risk of CHD.³