The Effects of Physical Exercise Training in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The Effects of Physical Exercise Training in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The purpose of the present project is to investigate the physiological effects of two different types of exercise training in COPD patients. The patients will be examined before, during and after 8 weeks of training to evaluate the effect of different types of skeletal muscle stimulation on health related quality of life, 6 min walking distance, flow mediated dilation, and histological properties of skeletal muscle cells, regarding oxidative capacity, fiber type, purinergic receptor amounts and measures of systemic inflammation. The study will test the hypothesis that:

Resistance training is superior to endurance training in patients with COPD

Inclusion Criteria:

• FEV1/FVC fixed ratio <0.70, FEV1: <60% of predicted and MRC > or equal to 3
• Arterial oxygen saturation at rest> 90%, BMI >18, LVEF> 45.
• Age: 40 - 80 years

The medical treatment will be continued unchanged during the study and additional prednisolone and /or antibiotic treatment will be prescribed in case of acute exacerbation.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unstable ischemic heart disease, severe heart valve failure, pulmonary emboli, severe heart failure, severe infections, musculoskeletal disorders, malignant disease, contraindicated medicine as MAO inhibitors and anticoagulants.