It has been happening an important change in the world population with increasing number of older people, life expectancy and prevalence of chronic diseases mainly the cardiovascular disorders. To manage this condition is important to have efficient methods of diagnosis and cardiovascular prevention. Aging promotes physiologic changes which influence the normal parameters of the tests. It may also alter the associated enfermities and the wishes of the patients for less invasive procedures. To update the bibliography about treadmill test in the elderly, the research was carried out with the keywords: "exercise test", "treadmill stress test X elderly" and "aged" on the Medline, SciELO and Lilacs. Authors which have evaluated older patients during the test showed the efficacy and security of this method as well as its indication. The examination should be applied to clinical evaluation and mainly evaluation of the functional capacity, with important prognostic value.</p
