TRANSIENT GLOBAL AMNESIA - A COMPLICATION OF INCREMENTAL EXERCISE TESTING

Incremental exercise testing is routinely used for diagnosis, rehabili tation, health screening, and research. We report the case of a 71-yr- old patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who suff ered an episode of transient global amnesia (TGA) several minutes afte r successfully completing an incremental exercise test on a cycle ergo meter. TGA, which is known to be precipitated by physical or emotional stress in about one-third of cases, is a transient neurological disor der in which memory impairment is the prominent deficit. TGA has a ben ign course and requires no treatment although 24-h observation is reco mmended. Recognition of TGA as a potential complication of incremental graded exercise testing is important to both aid diagnosis of the amn esia and to spare a patient unnecessary evaluation.