Abstract
We conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that a 24-week exercise intervention improves asthma control in adults. Adults with mild or moderate asthma were randomly assigned to either the exercise intervention group (IG) or the reference group (RG). Participants in IG received an individualized exercising program, including aerobic exercise at least three times a week for ≥30 minutes, muscle training, and stretching. The primary outcome was asthma control, measured by Asthma Control Test (ACT), asthma-related symptoms, and peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability. We estimated the risk (i.e. probability) of improvement in asthma control and the risk difference (RD) between IG and RG. Of 131 subjects (67 IG/64 RG) entered, 105 subjects (51/54) completed the trial (80%), and 89 (44/45) were analysed (68%). The ACT became better among 26 (62%) participants in IG and among 17 (39%) participants in RG. The effect of intervention on improving asthma control was 23% (RD = 0.23, 95% CI 0.027–0.438; P = 0.0320). The intervention also reduced shortness of breath by 30.1% (RD = 0.301, 95% CI 0.109–0.492; P = 0.003). The change in PEF variability was similar in both groups. Regular exercise improves asthma control measured by the ACT, while has little effect on PEF variability.
Highlights
The World Health Organization has estimated that 235–250 million people worldwide are affected by asthma[1]
The remaining 164 subjects were randomly allocated into the intervention group (n = 82) and the reference group (n = 82)
The intervention had on average a small increasing effect on peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability, which could be explained by chance
Summary
The World Health Organization has estimated that 235–250 million people worldwide are affected by asthma[1]. Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to produce substantial health benefits among healthy subjects Because of these findings, more recently an interest has arisen on whether exercise might be beneficial for asthma patients. Our previous systematic review and meta-analysis provided evidence that regular physical exercise improves physical fitness among adult asthmatics, but the evidence was insufficient to assess the effects of exercise on asthma control and quality of life[5]. To fill in this gap in knowledge, we conducted The Regular Exercise and Asthma Control Trial (REACT) to test the hypothesis that regular exercise improves asthma control
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