Influence of a submaximal and maximal aerobic exercise session on mucociliary clearance and autonomic function in smokers

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate and to correlate the behavior of mucociliary clearance and the autonomic nervous system of smokers after submaximal and maximal aerobic exercise sessions. We evaluated 25 smokers and 15 nonsmokers aged between 30 and 50 years. Both groups were submitted to the saccharin transit time (STT) test and heart rate variability (HRV) before and after a submaximal (six-minute walk test) and maximal (cardiopulmonary test) exercise. Paired t-test or Wilcoxon were used for intragroup analysis and the unpaired t-test or Mann-Whitney for intergroup analysis. The correlation was performed using Pearson or Spearman coefficients (p