Improvements in symptoms and quality of life following exercise training in older adults with moderate/severe persistent asthma.
BACKGROUND
Some individuals with moderate/severe persistent asthma develop irreversible airway obstruction. These individuals present with dyspnoea, exercise intolerance and impaired quality of life (QOL), all of which could potentially be alleviated with exercise training.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether exercise training improves functional exercise capacity and QOL in middle-aged and older adults with fixed airway obstruction asthma (FAOA).


METHODS
35 subjects aged 67.8 ± 10.6 years, with FEV(1) 59 ± 16% of predicted, were randomised to a 6-week 'intervention' period of supervised exercise training (n = 20) or usual care (n = 15). This period was preceded by a 3-week run-in period during which asthma control was assessed weekly. Functional exercise capacity (6-min walk distance, 6MWD) and QOL (Asthma QOL Questionnaire, AQLQ) were measured before, immediately following and 3 months after the intervention period.


RESULTS
34 subjects (exercise group, n = 19, and control group, n = 15) completed the intervention period. Relative to the control group, the exercise group had greater improvements immediately following and 3 months after the intervention in the AQLQ symptom domain (0.61, p = 0.001, and 0.57 points per item, p = 0.005) and AQLQ activity limitation domain (0.43, p = 0.04, and 0.55 points per item, p = 0.04). 6MWD increased (36 ± 37 m, p < 0.01) in the exercise group immediately following training and remained elevated (34 ± 45 m, p < 0.01) at the 3-month follow-up. The magnitude of change in 6MWD between groups was not significant, despite no change in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Supervised exercise training improves symptoms and QOL in adults with FAOA.
Turner
Sian
S
School of Physiotherapy and Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology,, Perth, W.A., Australia.
Eastwood
Peter
P
Cook
Angus
A
Jenkins
Sue
S
D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D014797:Vital Capacity