Arch Bronconeumol. 2020;56(3):157–162 www.archbronconeumol.org Original Article Aerobic Capacity of Preterm Children with Very Low Birth Weight at School Age and its Associated Factors Sabrina Pinheiro Tsopanoglou a , Josy Davidson a,b,∗ , Victor Zuniga Dourado a , Ana Lucia Goulart a , Marina Carvalho de Moraes Barros a , Amélia Miyashiro Nunes dos Santos a a Universidade Federal de São Paulo – UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil b Centro Universitário São Camilo, São Paulo, Brazil a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 13 March 2019 Accepted 26 May 2019 Available online 22 July 2019 Keywords: Preterm children Very low birth weight Aerobic capacity a b s t r a c t Introduction: Respiratory morbidities of preterm infants can cause significant ventilatory impairment thus compromising the aerobic capacity in childhood and adolescence. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the aerobic capacity in school age preterm children with VLBW and its associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among preterm born with VLBW and term children, both aged 6–9 years. An individualized symptom-limited treadmill testing protocol performed aerobic capacity. Measured variables: oxygen pulse (PuO 2 ), percentage of maximum heart rate for age (%HR max), tidal volume/inspiratory capacity ratio (TV/IC), oxygen consumption (VO 2 ) peak, and the ratio of the anaerobic threshold of gas exchange to the predicted percentage of maximum VO 2 (VO 2 @LA/%VO 2 max.pred.) were compared between groups. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine the factors associated with aerobic capacity. Results: Thirty-four preterm and 32 term children were included. Similar VO 2 peak and the other variables were observed. The development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and being obese/overweight was positively associated with %HR max. The Z-score for height/age and birth weight <1000 g was positively associated with PuO 2 and peak VO 2 , and negatively associated with overweight/obesity and female sex. Conclusions: Aerobic capacity was similar in both groups. Sex, development of BPD, birth weight <1000 g and factors related to body growth, such as Z-score for height/age and overweight/obesity, were associa- ted with aerobic capacity in preterm children with VLBW. © 2019 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espa ˜ na, S.L.U. All rights reserved. Capacidad aeróbica de ni˜ nos prematuros de muy bajo peso al nacer y edad escolar y sus factores asociados Palabras clave: Ni˜ nos prematuros Muy bajo peso al nacer Capacidad aeróbica r e s u m e n Introducción: Las enfermedades respiratorias de los ni˜ nos prematuros pueden causar importantes impe- dimentos ventilatorios que comprometen la capacidad aeróbica en la infancia y en la adolescencia. El presente estudio se llevó a cabo para evaluar la capacidad aeróbica de ni˜ nos prematuros en edad escolar de muy bajo peso al nacer (BPN) y los factores asociados. Métodos: Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal con ni˜ nos prematuros de muy BPN y con ni˜ nos a término, ambos grupos con edades comprendidas entre los 6 y 9 a˜ nos. Las siguientes variables se compararon entre los 2 grupos: el pulso de oxígeno (PuO 2 ), el porcentaje de frecuencia cardíaca máxima (%FC máx.), la relación entre el volumen corriente y la capacidad inspiratoria (TV/IC), el consumo pico de oxígeno (VO 2 ) y la relación entre el umbral anaeróbico de intercambio de gas y el porcentaje estimado de VO 2 máximo (VO 2 @LA/%VO 2 máx. pred.). Se llevaron a cabo análisis de regresión lineal univariante y multivariante para determinar los factores asociados con la capacidad aeróbica. ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: josydavidson@yahoo.com.br (J. Davidson). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arbres.2019.05.018 0300-2896/© 2019 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espa ˜ na, S.L.U. All rights reserved. 1579-2129