title: Effects of a muscular training program on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with moderate or severe exacerbation antecedents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Muscular training is the corner stone of pulmonary rehabilitation programs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects of a muscular training program - carried out on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) subjects with antecedents of moderate or severe exacerbation - on exercise tolerance, Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and illness prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quasi-experimental study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five subjects with COPD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) degrees II, III and IV); with moderate or severe exacerbations and functional deterioration due to respiratory disability; with commitment and capacity to participate in the program. Subjects were selected by consecutive sampling.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects underwent 20 muscular training sessions consisting of 30 minutes of inspiratory muscle training, 15 minutes of warm-up protocol of upper limb exercises, 30 minutes of muscle training in ergometric cycle, 5 minutes of stretching protocol of lower limbs plus illness awareness. The main outcome measures were six minute walking test (6MWT), specific HRQoL questionnaires (St. Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRDQ) and Airways Questionnaire 20 (AQ20)) and the BODE Index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All subjects improved significantly (P<0.001) their HRQoL in the SGRQ, the CRDQ and the AQ20, and this was demonstrated in each one of the evaluated dimensions. A positive response in relation to exercise tolerance and illness prognosis was observed. Following the program subjects walked an average of 56 meters more (P<0.001) and the BODE index was a mean of 1.5 less regarding the initial value (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A 20-session muscular training program contributes to an improvement in HRQoL, exercise tolerance and illness prognosis in COPD subjects with moderate or severe exacerbations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intervention program could be easily implemented since it needs a minimum of human and technological resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain - sonia.souto@udc.es.
authors.forename: Asenet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-García
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Souto-Camba
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blanco-Aparicio
authors.forename: Luz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: González-Doniz
authors.forename: Jesus L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Saleta
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Verea-Hernando
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001945:Breathing Exercises; D018450:Disease Progression; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome