title: Haemophilia & Exercise Project (HEP): the impact of 1-year sports therapy programme on physical performance in adult haemophilia patients.
abstract: Episodes of bleeding in people with haemophilia (PWH) are associated with reduced activity and limitations in physical performance. Within the scope of the 'Haemophilia & Exercise Project' (HEP) PWH were trained in a sports therapy programme. Aim of this study was to investigate subjective and objective physical performance in HEP-participants after 1 year training. Physical performance of 48 adult PWH was compared before and after sports therapy subjectively (HEP-Test-Q) and objectively regarding mobility (range of motion), strength and coordination (one-leg-stand) and endurance (12-min walk test). Sports therapy included an independent home training that had previously been trained in several collective sports camps. Forty-three controls without haemophilia and without training were compared to PWH. Of 48 PWH, 13 performed a regular training (active PWH); 12 HEP-participants were constantly passive (passive PWH). Twenty-three PWH and 24 controls dropped out because of incomplete data. The activity level increased by 100% in active PWH and remained constant in passive PWH, and in controls (P ≤ 0.05). Only mobility of the right knee was significantly improved in active PWH (+5.8 ± 5.3°) compared to passive PWH (-1.3 ± 8.6°). The 12-min walk test proved a longer walking distance for active PWH (+217 ± 199 m) compared to controls (-32 ± 217 m). Active PWH reported a better subjective physical performance in the HEP-Test-Q domains 'strength & coordination', 'endurance' and in the total score (+9.4 ± 13.8) compared to passive PWH (-5.3 ± 13.5) and controls (+3.7 ± 7.5). The 'mobility'-scale and one-leg-stand remained unchanged. Sports therapy increases the activity level and physical performance of PWH, whereby objective effects do not always correspond with subjective assessments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany. czepa@uni-wuppertal.de
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Czepa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: von Mackensen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hilberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002836:Hemophilia B / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult