Safety and Impact of Low Resistance Exercise Training on Quality of Life in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Safety and Impact of Low Resistance Exercise Training on Quality of Life in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

The purpose of the study is to learn more about how low-resistance training impacts frailty and the quality of life of people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Low-resistance training is an evidence-based approach that may help patients improve their functional ability.

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and their caregivers will be asked to participate in the study. The study consists of a baseline in-person visit (week 1) where quality of life and physical performance will be assessed, and subjects will be shown low-resistance training exercises to perform at home. The exercises will then be performed at home, as instructed, for 12 weeks. At week 12, subjects return for a follow-up in-person visit, where quality of life and physical performance will be reassessed. Patients and caregivers will also be asked to participate in separate exit interviews, where investigators will ask how they felt about the resistance training.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of PAH: idiopathic, heritable, associated with connective tissue disease, congenital heart disease, human immunodeficiency virus, drug- or toxin, or portopulmonary hypertension
• On stable PAH therapy for 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• World Health Organization (WHO) functional class IV
• Left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% (via transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) within one year of screening)
• Moderate or severe concomitant lung disease: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or interstitial lung disease
• Enrollment in a clinical trial
• Recent hospitalization (within 4 weeks of screening)
• Inability to perform the Short Physical Performance Battery or wheelchair bound