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PubMedDate not supplied

Managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the community. A randomized controlled trial of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation for elderly housebound patients.

PURPOSE: Pulmonary rehabilitation is essential for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Housebound COPD patients are frequently excluded from this treatment because they are unable to access outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programs because of the severity of their disease. This randomized controlled trial assesses the effects of a 12-week home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program for 60 housebound COPD patients older than 60 years. METHODS: Intervention patients received an individually tailored supervised walking and arm exercise program as well as individual multidisciplinary education sessions on COPD and its management. Outcomes were assessed using the 6-minute walk test, St George's respiratory questionnaire, and Borg score of perceived breathlessness. Healthcare utilization was assessed using hospital admission rates with exacerbation of COPD and average length of stay at readmission. RESULTS: Complete data for 23 patients in each group were available for analysis. There was no significant difference between groups on baseline measures. Compared with the control group, intervention patients demonstrated a significant improvement in 6-minute walk test (P = .023), Borg score of perceived breathlessness (P = .024), St George's respiratory questionnaire total score (P = .020), and impact subscore (P = .024). At 6 months, the intervention group had a significantly shorter average length of stay at readmission to hospital with exacerbation (P = .035). CONCLUSION: A 12-week home-based pulmonary rehabilitation is effective in improving exercise tolerance, perception of breathlessness, and quality of life for housebound COPD patients. To manage COPD in the community more effectively, health services should focus on expanding home-based pulmonary rehabilitation.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

[Factor analysis of the health related quality of life of patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with the health-related quality of life (HRQL) perceived by patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). PATIENTS AND METHODS DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS: Patients with stable COPD (n = 204, alpha = 0.05, d = 6.9%). MEASURES AND INTERVENTIONS: For every patient we recorded sociodemographic and treatment data,severity of dyspnea, and the results of gasometry and lung function and stress testing, as well as responses to the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRDQ). After studying the associations between variables we carried out factor analysis of those that were significantly related to HRQL. RESULTS: Men made up 91.7% of the cohort. The mean age (standard deviation)was 71 (9), FEV1% was 45 (16) and FEV1/FVCwas 48 (10). HRQL was statically related to age, weight, body mass index (BMI), economic status, educational status, chronic treatment with oral corticosteroids, ODCA, PaO2, oxygen saturation, alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient, absolute FEV1, FEV1%, post-bronchodilatation FEV1, absolute FVC, FVC%, distance walked in six minutes, oxygen saturation before the walking test and lowest oxygen saturation during the test,difference in dyspnea before and after the test measured on a visual analog scale. Factor analysis reduced the main variables to six, which explained 74.6% of the variance, as follows: Factor1 PaO2, oxygen saturation and alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (33.7%); Factor 2 absolute FEV1,FEV1%, FEV1 after bronchodilatation, absolute FVC and FVC% (11.9%); Factor 3 eight and BMI (8.8%); Factor 4 age, severity of dyspnea and walking test distance (8.4%);Factor 5: corticosteroid dependence and domiciliary oxygen therapy(6.3%); and Factor 6: economic and educational status (5.5%). CONCLUSION: HRQL in stable COPD patients is partially related to severity of respiratory insufficiency, airflow obstruction, nutritional status, exercise capacity, severity of disease, and socioeconomic status.

Aged↗

PubMed1997

An open, parallel group comparison of quinapril and captopril, when added to diuretic therapy, in the treatment of elderly patients with heart failure.

This study aimed to compare the efficacy, tolerability and first-dose blood-pressure response of once-daily quinapril and twice-daily captopril when added to diuretic therapy in elderly patients with heart failure. The study was performed at a single centre as an open randomised parallel-group study, patients being selected for inclusion from the outpatient population. Following a starting dose of either 2.5 mg once-daily quinapril, or 6.25 mg twice-daily captopril, patients were reviewed at two-weekly intervals, and following clinical assessment a decision was made either to titrate up to the next medication stage or to enter the patient into the 16-week maintenance phase. Efficacy was assessed using a six-minute walking test, the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, a functional lifescale (FLS) questionnaire and the cardiothoracic ratio (CTR)-at study entry and at the end of the maintenance phase. Blood pressure was measured for 5 h post-first-dose of medication. Sixty-one patients were randomised to treatment: 30 to quinapril and 31 to captopril. Following withdrawals, data from 36 patients (20 on quinapril, 16 on captopril) were available for analysis. The distance walked during the six-minute walking test improved in both groups; the difference between the treatment groups was not statistically significant. There were no significant changes in the FLS or CTR. An analysis of change in the NYHA status from study entry to study end showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.02) in favour of quinapril. Five patients in each group experienced hypotension during the 5 h following the first dose of medication. This study has shown heart failure to be as well controlled by once-daily quinapril as by twice-daily captopril, with comparable effects on first-dose blood-pressure response.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

Does lung transplantation improve health-related quality of life? The University of Florida experience.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important clinical end-point in evaluating the overall success of lung transplantation. The primary purpose of this study, therefore, was to document the degree of change in HRQoL in a sample of patients evaluated before and after lung transplantation. METHODS: Sixty-six adults who underwent single or bilateral lung transplantation at the University of Florida between March 1994 and May 2001 completed assessments of HRQoL (SF-36 Health Survey, Transplant Symptom Frequency Questionnaire), both before and after transplant. Pre- and post-transplant assessments of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) percent predicted and 6-minute walk test performance were also obtained. RESULTS: HRQoL before transplant was significantly lower than in normative samples of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and adults in the general population. However, repeated measures analyses of co-variance showed significant improvements on 7 of 8 SF-36 sub-scales, as well as the physical component summary and the mental component summary. Improvements in FEV1 percent predicted and 6-minute walk test performance were also found. Patients with longer time since transplantation reported more frequent and problematic symptoms commonly associated with immunosuppression, including depression, headaches and changes in physical appearance, among others. CONCLUSIONS: Lung transplantation appears to yield significant HRQoL benefits for patients. Many patients do, however, experience frequent symptoms associated with immunosuppression that may limit the full benefit of transplantation, and some of these symptoms appear to worsen over time. Future research efforts should focus on the development, implementation and evaluation of clinical interventions designed to optimize HRQoL both before and after lung transplantation.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1989

Effect of nutritional status on exercise performance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The purpose of our study was to examine the nutritional status of patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (mean predicted FEV1, 30 +/- 11%) and to explore its relationship to functional capacity. Functional capacity was evaluated by measuring peak oxygen consumption (VO2max) using an incremental cycle ergometry test, a 6-min walk test, self-perceived level of dyspnea, and quality of life. The percentage ideal body weight (%IBW) was less than 90% in 33 of 135 subjects. Triceps skinfold thickness was less than 60% of normal in 19 of 33 of these subjects. Total lymphocyte count was not different between groups, whereas hemoglobin (14.9 versus 15.9 g/dl) and albumin (4.0 versus 4.1 g/dl) were marginally reduced in underweight subjects. Dyspnea and overall quality of life were unaffected by nutritional status. Maximal inspiratory (Pimax) and expiratory mouth pressures (PEmax) were weakly associated with %IBW (R2 = 0.04; p = 01 and R2 = 0.15; p less than 0.01, respectively). The %IBW was a predictor of VO2max (percent predicted) after controlling for FEV1 in regression analysis (partial R2 = 0.08; p less than 0.001). Despite the association of weight status with VO2max, the 6-min walk was not influenced by %IBW. The perceived intensity of exercise as judged by the Borg score was far greater with the bicycle exercise that with the 6-min walk (mean score, 10.6 +/- 1.2 versus 4.6 +/- 1.9). This was supported by the difference in heart rate after these two tests.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Body Weight↗

PubMed2026

Therapeutic Exercise Protocol During Hospitalization in Pediatric Oncohematological Patients: Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Leukemias, lymphomas, and central nervous system tumors are among the most common pediatric cancers and may lead to motor deficits, impaired balance, reduced muscle strength, fatigue, and decreased functional capacity. Early physiotherapy during hospitalization may help prevent inactivity and support functional preservation in this population. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a therapeutic exercise program on quality of life, muscle strength, fatigue, and functional capacity in hospitalized pediatric oncohematological patients. METHODS: Thirty participants aged 8-17 years with oncohematological diseases were randomized to an intervention group (IG) or a minimal active physiotherapy comparator group (CG). Assessments included the 6-min walk test, handgrip dynamometry, the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, and the PedsQL Cancer Module at admission and discharge. The IG performed daily 25-min supervised sessions including aerobic, resistance, and breathing exercises with ambulation guidance, whereas the CG received breathing exercises and ambulation guidance. RESULTS: No significant group × time interactions were observed for total fatigue or its domains, overall quality of life or its assessed domains, handgrip strength, or six-minute walk test distance. Time-related changes were observed for some outcomes, but these occurred without evidence of differential change between groups and were not interpreted as effects of the structured exercise protocol. No intervention-related adverse events requiring permanent protocol discontinuation were recorded. CONCLUSION: The structured in-hospital therapeutic exercise protocol could be delivered under close clinical supervision without recorded intervention-related adverse events requiring permanent discontinuation. However, the structured protocol did not demonstrate superiority over the minimal active physiotherapy comparator for fatigue, quality of life, muscle strength, or functional capacity. These findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the small sample size, clinical heterogeneity, variable intervention exposure, and limited intervention-fidelity data. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC), RBR-8sxnfyd.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

Combination therapy of prostacyclin for pulmonary hypertension in congenital heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a recognized complication of congenital heart disease. Despite differences in etiology and pathophysiology, successful therapy for idiopathic PAH may benefit in patients with congenital heart disease. We theorized that combination of oral and aerosolization prostacyclin will benefit this group of patients in long-term. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study design was single group and open label study with intention to treat for patients with congenital heart disease with pulmonary artery (PA pressure) more than 50% of systemic pressure. All patients were given a combination of orally given beraprost sodium and inhalation of iloprost for 12 months. Data were collected prospectively consisting of functional class, O2 saturation, 6-minute walk test and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP). RESULTS: There were 23 patients with an average right ventricular systolic pressure (+/- SD) of 94.8 +/- 14.5 mmHg and with average age of 27.8 +/- 14.9 years (2.5 to 50 years). The average oxygen saturation was 87.9 +/- 7 %. There were 12 patients with post surgical repair or cardiac catheterization interventional procedure and 11 with and Eisenmenger's syndrome. There were significant improvement of 6-minute-walk test from an average of 268 +/- 70 meters to 308 +/- 57 meters at the end of 12 months. The functional class of patients was also improving. However, there were no significant different in oxygen saturation. CONCLUSION: Combination therapy of oral and inhalation of aerosolized vasodilators is a fascinating concept in the therapy of pulmonary hypertension. Treated patients showed an improvement in exercise capacity and right ventricular systolic pressure without a worsening in oxygen saturation.

Administration, Inhalation↗

PubMed2003

Rehabilitation for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). DATA SOURCES: medline, cinhal, and Cochrane Library searches for trials of rehabilitation for COPD patients. Abstracts presented at national meetings and the reference lists of pertinent articles were reviewed. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were included if: trials were randomized; patients were symptomatic with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) <70% or FEV1 divided by forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) <70% predicted; rehabilitation group received at least 4 weeks of rehabilitation; control group received no rehabilitation; and outcome measures included exercise capacity or shortness of breath. We identified 69 trials, of which 20 trials were included in the final analysis. DATA EXTRACTION: Effect of rehabilitation was calculated as the standardized effect size (ES) using random effects estimation techniques. RESULTS: The rehabilitation groups of 20 trials (979 patients) did significantly better than control groups on walking test (ES = 0.71; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.43 to 0.99). The rehabilitation groups of 12 trials (723 patients) that used the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire had less shortness of breath than did the control groups (ES = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.89). Trials that used respiratory muscle training only showed no significant difference between rehabilitation and control groups, whereas trials that used at least lower-extremity training showed that rehabilitation groups did significantly better than control groups on walking test and shortness of breath. Trials that included severe COPD patients showed that rehabilitation groups did significantly better than control groups only when the rehabilitation programs were 6 months or longer. Trials that included mild/moderate COPD patients showed that rehabilitation groups did significantly better than control groups with both short- and long-term rehabilitation programs. CONCLUSION: COPD patients who receive rehabilitation have a better exercise capacity and they experience less shortness of breath than patients who do not receive rehabilitation. COPD patients may benefit from rehabilitation programs that include at least lower-extremity training. Patients with mild/moderate COPD benefit from short- and long-term rehabilitation, whereas patients with severe COPD may benefit from rehabilitation programs of at least 6 months.

Dyspnea↗

PubMed2005

Safety and tolerability of bosentan in adults with Eisenmenger physiology.

BACKGROUND: Bosentan, a dual-endothelin receptor antagonist, is an established treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension. We hypothesized that bosentan is safe and well tolerated in patients with Eisenmenger physiology. METHODS: In this pilot open-label study, we primarily examined safety and tolerability of oral bosentan. Patients were recruited from our adult congenital heart clinic following informed consent. Baseline and 3-month assessment included WHO functional class, resting oxygen saturations, 6-min walk test, transthoracic echocardiography and respiratory mass spectrometry. Patient clinical status and liver enzymes were closely monitored throughout. RESULTS: All 10 study patients (42+/-4 years; eight female) tolerated bosentan well. No major adverse events or significant liver enzyme elevations were observed. All but one patient felt better; none felt worse. Four patients experienced transient leg oedema. Resting oxygen saturations (83+/-5 versus 80+/-5%; P=0.011) and the distance travelled in the 6-min walk test (348+/-112 versus 249+/-117 m; P=0.004) increased relative to baseline. Changes in echocardiographic parameters (maximum aortic forward flow velocity 1.3+/-0.1 versus 1.1+/-0.2 ms, P=0.013; pulmonary arterial acceleration time 66+/-10 versus 58+/-12 m/s, P=0.02) and pulmonary blood flow (3.45+/-1.2 versus 2.58+/-1.0 L/min, P=0.008) suggested improved pulmonary haemodynamics by study end. Other echocardiographic changes suggested improved right ventricular systolic function (septal amplitude 1.0 versus 1.1 cm, P=0.048; systolic tissue Doppler velocity 4.8 versus 2.3 cm s(-1), P=0.002) by study end. CONCLUSIONS: Bosentan was safe and well tolerated in adults with Eisenmenger physiology both at initiation and after 3 months of oral therapy. Clinical status of patients and pulmonary haemodynamics appeared to improve, and this warrants further investigation.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Measurement of agreement on health-related quality of life changes in response to respiratory rehabilitation by patients and physicians--a prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: To provide optimal care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease physicians need to understand if their patients benefit from an intervention. The objective of this study was to assess agreement between patients and physicians on health-related quality of life (HRQL) changes in response to respiratory rehabilitation and to explore sources for disagreement. METHODS: Sixty-one patients rated their health states on a validated preference-based instrument, the feeling thermometer (FT). In an analogous manner, the eight treating physicians rated the patients' health states on the FT. Patients and physicians were blinded to each other's ratings. We calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) to assess agreement between patients and physicians and used HRQL instruments and the 6-min walking test to assess the evaluative properties of the FT. RESULTS: We found moderate agreement at baseline (ICC 0.40, P = 0.018) and follow-up (ICC 0.49, P = 0.008) but large disagreement about change scores (ICC 0.02, P = 0.46). Patients' FTchange scores correlated well with change scores of the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire, SF-36 and the Borg scale for dyspnoea whereas physicians' FT change scores correlated significantly with the change score of the 6- min walking test (r = 0.33). Physicians' ratings showed an inconsistent pattern for correlations with HRQL measures. CONCLUSIONS: There is large disagreement between patients and physicians on HRQL changes in response to respiratory rehabilitation. Investigators should assess whether the introduction of HRQL instruments into clinical practice raises the awareness of physicians towards HRQL and improves agreement with their patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

A phase I/II clinical trial of enzyme replacement therapy in mucopolysaccharidosis II (Hunter syndrome).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and explore the efficacy of idursulfase (recombinant human iduronate-2-sulfatase) treatment for mucopolysaccharidosis II (MPS II). STUDY DESIGN: Twelve patients were enrolled into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial for 24 weeks followed by an open-label extension study. Three groups of 4 patients were enrolled sequentially, with 3 patients in each group receiving idursulfase and 1 patient receiving placebo. The first group received idursulfase at 0.15 mg/kg infused every other week with the 2nd and 3rd groups receiving 0.5 and 1.5 mg/kg, respectively. After 24 weeks the placebo-treated patients were changed to idursulfase at the dose of their group. The primary endpoint was a change from baseline in urinary excretion of glycosaminoglycans. Results were pooled for analysis by ANOVA and compared to baseline. RESULTS: Urinary glycosaminoglycans were reduced within 2 weeks of initiating idursulfase and were decreased 49% after 48 weeks of treatment (P<0.0001). Both liver and spleen volume were decreased at 24 weeks (P<0.01) and 48 weeks (P<0.001). The 6-minute walk test distance increased an average of 48 meters after 48 weeks (P=0.013). Six patients in the higher dose groups developed IgG antibodies that did not influence the clinical effects of idursulfase. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes the first experience with enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of patients with MPS II. Idursulfase was generally well tolerated and was associated with reductions in urine glycosaminoglycans levels and organ size, as well as an increased 6-minute walk test distance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Effects of an eight-week physical conditioning program on disease signs and symptoms in children with chronic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of an 8-week, 24-session weight-bearing physical conditioning program on disease signs and symptoms in children with chronic arthritis. METHODS: In a within-subjects, repeated measures design, 25 subjects, ages 8-17 years, with chronic polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), were assessed at study entry, after an 8-week control period, and after an 8-week exercise period, for 1) disease status, based on joint count (JC) and articular severity index (ASI) (sum of scores for joint swelling, pain on motion, tenderness, and limitations of motion); 2) worst pain during the past week, using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS), and 3) aerobic endurance, using the 9-minute run-walk test of the Health Related Physical Fitness Test battery. The 60-minute conditioning program included warm-up (10 minutes), low-impact aerobics (25 minutes), strengthening (15 minutes), and cool-down and flexibility exercises (10 minutes). Subjects exercised twice a week at their rheumatology center and once a week at home, using a commercial exercise video-tape supplied by the investigator. RESULTS: Significant improvement was found in the ASI (Friedman analysis of variance [ANOVA]), JC, and 9-minute run-walk test (repeated measures ANOVA) from the pre- to post-exercise tests. Mean VAS pain scores decreased 16% from study entry to the post-exercise test. Statistically significant improvement (reliable change index > 1.96) occurred in 80% of subjects on the ASI and 72% on the JC. CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents with chronic polyarticular JRA can improve their aerobic endurance through participation in weight-bearing physical conditioning programs without disease exacerbation or increased pain, and may achieve decreased joint signs and symptoms through increased physical activity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Plasma von Willebrand factor and soluble E-selectin levels in stable outpatients with systolic heart failure: the Frederiksberg heart failure study.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction is a well-established aspect of the pathophysiology of patients with systolic heart failure. We have previously reported that patients who have had multiple current or previous hospital admissions for decompensated heart failure have consistently shown abnormal levels of plasma von Willebrand factor (vWf, an index of endothelial damage/dysfunction) and soluble E-selectin (E-sel, an index of endothelial activation), as well as other indices of endothelial perturbation. METHODS: To investigate if endothelial abnormalities extend to CHF outpatients who have only been recently diagnosed or have relatively mild or few, stable symptoms (at baseline), given the better prognosis in these patients, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of CHF patients, where vWf and E-sel levels (as indices of endothelial perturbation) were measured (ELISA) and related to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), exercise capacity (6-min walk test) and N-terminal pro-Brain Natiuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in vWf and E-sel levels amongst patients with systolic heart failure compared to controls. Plasma NT-proBNP levels in patients with CHF were significantly elevated compared to controls (p<0.0001). Among the patients with CHF, higher NT-proBNP levels correlated with poorer LVEF [Spearman r=-0.244, p<0.004] and shorter 6-min walk distance [Spearman r=-0.226, p=0.045] but not NYHA class. Plasma vWf or E-sel levels did not correlate with LVEF, 6-min walk test or NYHA class. NT-proBNP levels correlated weakly with E-sel [Spearman r=-0.211, p=0.015] but not vWf. CONCLUSION: The present observation suggests that stable CHF outpatients with few symptoms may in fact have less severe endothelial perturbation, as reflected by plasma indices such as vWf and E-selectin. There was limited association of endothelial indices to LVEF, exercise capacity, NYHA class and NT-proBNP levels.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Myocardial contractile reserve under low doses of dobutamine and improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction with treatment by carvedilol.

To examine the ability of myocardial contractile reserve (MCR) assessment to predict the improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction with treatment by carvedilol, a prospective study was undertaken in 85 patients with chronic heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction < 45%. Low dose dobutamine echocardiography (DSE), a 6-min walk test and measured brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were assessed in all the patients. Patients were separated into two groups. Group A were patients without any myocardial reserve and group B patients with a myocardial contractile reserve defined as an increment of more than 20% of the resting left ventricular ejection fraction during dobutamine infusion. The two groups differed for percentage of ischemic cardiomyopathy (67.8 in group A vs. 29.7% in group B P = 0.028), 6-min walk test performance (respectively, 343 vs. 415 meters P < 0.05) and BNP plasma levels (respectively, 184.5 vs. 70.1 P < 0.02) but not for left ventricular ejection fraction or NYHA class. During DSE, MCR and heart rate variation was higher in group B than in group A. At the end of the follow up, LVEF increased and NYHA class decreased in group B but not in group A. In multivariate analysis the existence of MCR could predict the improvement of LVEF with treatment by carvedilol. In our study, studying MCR could help to predict patients who will improve their LVEF with carvedilol prior to the administration of the treatment.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

PubMed2001

A comparison of three disease-specific and two generic health-status measures to evaluate the outcome of pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD.

The use of health status as an outcome measure is becoming more widespread in pulmonary rehabilitation. There are a number of health status measures but the choice remains uncertain. Three disease specific measures and two generic measures of health status were employed to observe their relative sensitivity to a 7-week course of pulmonary rehabilitation. Patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were recruited into a rehabilitation programme. They completed a shuttle-walking test and three disease-specific questionnaires: the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), the St. George's Hospital Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the Breathing Problems Questionnaire (BPQ). Patients also completed two generic questionnaires: a global quality-of-life scale and an activity checklist. Ninety-seven patients [58 male mean (SD) age 67 (8.7) years] completed the course over a 12-month period. The mean pre-rehabilitation (SD) FEV1 was 1.06 (0.59) l. The shuttle-walking test and the treadmill-endurance test increased significantly after rehabilitation (P<0.001). All three disease-specific questionnaires improved significantly (the CRQ and SGRQ improved beyond minimum clinically important difference). The global score improved significantly whilst the 'things people do' decreased. All three disease-specific measures were responsive to pulmonary rehabilitation. However the operator-led CRQ appears to be the most sensitive short-term outcome measure.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of Orlistat in obese patients with heart failure: a pilot study.

Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization. Obesity is increasingly common and is a major public health problem. The aim of this study is to assess whether obese patients with heart failure can benefit from losing weight via an orlistat-assisted diet. This randomized clinical trial included obese patients with ejection fractions < or =40%. Orlistat and diet counseling were compared with diet counseling alone. Twenty-one consecutive obese patients with heart failure were recruited. Significant improvement in 6-minute walk test (45.8 m; 95% confidence interval, 5.2-86.4 m; p=0.031), functional class (-0.6+/-0.5, p=0.014), weight loss (-8.55 kg; 95% confidence interval, -13.0 to -4.1 kg; p<0.001) and also significant decreases in total cholesterol (p=0.017), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p=0.03), and triglycerides (p=0.036) were observed in the orlistat group. Orlistat can promote significant weight loss and symptoms of relief in obese patients with heart failure, as measured by 6-minute walk test and functional capacity. The lipid profile improved. Orlistat was safe and well tolerated.

Anti-Obesity Agents↗

PubMed2002

Nutritional depletion in patients on long-term oxygen therapy and/or home mechanical ventilation.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of malnutrition in outpatients on long-term oxygen therapy or home mechanical ventilation, to determine the relationships between malnutrition and impairment/disability and smoking and also to identify relevant tools for routine nutritional assessment. In 744 patients (M:F 1.68, aged 65+/-15 yrs) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 40%), restrictive disorders (27%), mixed respiratory failure (15%), neuromuscular diseases (13%) and bronchiectasis (5%), body mass index (BMI), fat-free mass (FFM), serum albumin, transthyretin, 6-min walking test, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and blood gases were recorded. FFM was the most sensitive parameter for detecting malnutrition, being abnormal in 53.6% of patients, while BMI was <20 in 23.2%, serum albumin <35 g x L(-1) in 20.7%, and serum transthyretin <200 mg x L(-1) in 20%. FFM depletion predominated in neuromuscular, bronchiectasis and restrictive disorders. BMI and FFM were correlated with FEV1, FVC and 6-min walking test. In multivariate analysis a BMI<20 was related to FEV1 and smoking habits, and a low FFM to smoking, FEV1 and female sex. Malnutrition is highly prevalent in home-assisted respiratory patients and is related to causal disease, forced expiratory volume in one second, smoking and disability. Fat-free mass appeared to be the most sensitive and relevant nutritional parameter according to impairment and disability.

Aged↗

PubMed1980

An objective assessment of the value of exercise training to patients with chronic obstructive airways disease.

The value of a programme of graded exercise training was assessed in ten subjects with chronic obstructive airways disease. Assessments were made at two-weekly intervals during three twelve-week periods: before, during and after a period of training. During the training the subjects were able to walk significantly further in a 12 minute walking test. There was also a small but significant increase in the forced expiratory volume in one second and the difference between the values of total lung capacity estimated by body plethysmography and those estimated by helium dilution was significantly smaller. The transfer factor for carbon monoxide increased and was significantly greater in the period after stopping the training. The difference between alveolar and arterial oxygen tensions at rest was smaller during the training period. The changes in the results of the 12 minute walking test, transfer factor and the oxygen tension difference were maintained in the period after stopping the training. Despite the improvements in some of the indices of respiratory function there were no improvements in any of the indices of cardiorespiratory fitness which may be because the subjects were incapable of undertaking sufficiently intense training. It is concluded that training is of some benefit to patients with chronic obstructive airways disease but that the benefit may be greater in patients who are less incapacitated and who are able to undertake a more strenuous training programme.

Bronchitis↗