Home-based exercise is capable of preserving hospital-based improvements in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

• Published in: Respiratory medicine 2000-12, Vol.94 (12), p.1184-1191
• Main Authors: BEHNKE, M, TAUBE, C, KIRSTEN, D, LEHNIGK, B, JÖRRES, R.A, MAGNUSSEN, H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Gas Analysis; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; dyspnoea; exercise performance; exercise therapy; Exercise Therapy - methods; Feasibility Studies; Female; home care; Humans; lung diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive - blood; Lung Diseases, Obstructive - physiopathology; Lung Diseases, Obstructive - rehabilitation; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; obstructive; Pneumology; Quality of Life; Respiratory Function Tests; Self Care - methods; Statistics, Nonparametric; Walking
• ISSN: 0954-6111; 1532-3064
• DOI: 10.1053/rmed.2000.0949

We examined the feasibility of home-based walking training to maintain the benefits of a short-term exercise training in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). After initial recovery from an exacerbation, 46 patients were randomized into a training and a control group, and 30 patients completed the programme (mean±SD FEV1, 36±7 % predicted). The training group performed a 10-day walking training programme in the hospital, followed by a 6-month programme of supervised walking training at home, integrated into daily activities. The control group did not have exercise training in the hospital or at home. Until 6 months after discharge, lung function, exercise performance and symptom scores were assessed. Six-minute walking distance in the training group improved from day 1 to day 10 (P