Responsiveness of dyspnea, impact of COPD on health status and quality of life on aerobic and resistance training in different intensities – Pilot study

Abstract

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) progression increases dyspnea in activities of daily living, thereby worsening the impact of disease and decreasing quality of life. The combined training is the most complete physiologically resource, being able to improve these variables. Aim: To verify the responsiveness of dyspnea, impact of COPD on health status and quality of life on aerobic and resistance training in different intensities. Methods: Twenty-three COPD patients were assessed and reassessed by: modified Medical Research Council (mMRC), London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL), COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). The patients were randomized into two groups and performed 36 training sessions: Aerobic + High Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT: n=11, 68.8±6.6yrs; FEV 1 =47.7±16.2%pred) and Aerobic + Low Intensity Resistance Training (LIRT: n=12, 68.3±10.5yrs, FEV 1 =52.8±18.2%pred). Results: There were significant reductions (p≤0.05) in mMRC (from 2[1-3] to 1[1-2]) and LCADL (from 16[14-17] to 13[12-14]) in HIRT group. In LIRT group, only CAT (from 15.3±10.5 to 11.3±9.1) and SGRQ activities domain (from 46±25.3 to 28.8±22.2) presented significant difference. Moreover, there was a minimal important difference in SGRQ (>4) and CAT (>1.6) in both groups and mMRC (≥1) only in HIRT, with no significant differences between changes post training. Conclusion: COPD patients showed similarly responsiveness to impact of COPD and quality of life for both intensities of training, but those undergoing HIRT showed also significant improvement for dyspnea in daily activities.