Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Exercise

[Audio] Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Exercise..

[Audio] Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or C O P D, is a pulmonary disease characterized by restricted airflow resulting in shortness of breath and dyspnea..

[Audio] Risk Factors to C O P D include smoking, Chronic Lung Infections, and Asthma. C O P D can manifest as Chronic Cough, Wheezing, Phlegm, and Frequent Respiratory Infections..

[Audio] C O P D may be caused by alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency, environmental factors such as smoking, or the induction of neutrophil recruitment to bronchioles and alveoli. Neutrophil recruitment in the lungs leads to an exacerbated inflammation response which leads to elastin degradation and increased oxidative stress. Elastic Degradation and Oxidative Stress then lead to the destruction of alveolar walls. Treatment for C O P D is dependent on the severity of the disease. There is no cure, however there are treatments to delay its progression such as Pharmacologic Therapy and the cessation of smoking..

[Audio] C O P D is often caused by sedentary living. Exercise is therefore recommended to alleviate shortness of breath and Dyspnea. Resistance Training in the upper limbs can improve respiratory muscle strength, which combined with Respiratory Muscle Stretching and Aerobic Exercise, is found to increase the efficacy of respiratory muscles while decreasing dyspnea..

[Audio] Other examples of exercises to combat the symptoms of C O P D are High Intensity Interval Training which improves functional lung capacity, Lower Limb Resistance and Endurance Training which improves symptoms caused by Dyspnea, muscle weakness, while improving exercise capacity, and Inspiratory Muscle Training which involves strengthening the Diaphragm..

[Audio] Because chronic dyspnea and respiratory discomfort are the primary complaints from patients with C O P D, Individualized Aerobic and Endurance Training are recommended. To measure the severity of these symptoms, The Exercise Stress Test and the Spirometry Test are used with a grading scale established by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease..

[Audio] Aerobic Exercise can range from walks around the neighborhood to short jogs depending on the severity of C O P D. Long term goals include increased lung function, increased exercise tolerance, and an overall positive shift towards a higher quality of life. To determine the application of appropriate exercise strategies, measurements are taken through devices such as Smart Watches, Chest Straps, and mobile apps. The recommended amount of exercise should range from one hundred to a hundred and twenty minutes per week, which is spread out by at least three days a week. Those who suffer a higher severity of C O P D symptoms should aim towards the lower end of the recommended amount of exercise with the inverse being true for patients with lower severities. Endurance is built by increasing the duration of exercise sessions..

[Audio] To summarize, the leading cause of C O P D is smoking. Symptoms manifest through the destruction of alveoli and bronchioles. C O P D is incurable, however, treatment is prescribed to delay the progression of the disease and improve the quality of life. Exercise focused on increasing lung function can alleviate C O P D symptoms. And finally, Aerobic Exercise in combination with Endurance Training can help combat C O P D..

COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Persistent Disease.

References. Adolfo, J. R., Dhein, W., & Sbruzzi, G. (2019). Intensity of physical exercise and its effect on functional capacity in COPD: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia, 45(6). https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-3713/e20180011 Agarwal, A. K., Raja, A., & Brown, B. D. (2023, August). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease . National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559281/ Hersh, C., Hokanson, J., Lynch, D., Washko, G., Make, B., Crapo, J., & Silverman, E. (2015, December 16). Family history is a risk factor for COPD. Chest. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012369211604078 Iepsen, U. W., Munch, G. D., Rugbjerg, M., Rinnov, A., Zacho, M., Mortensen, S. P., Secher, N. H., Ringbaek, T., Pedersen, B. K., Hellsten, Y., Lange, P., & Thaning, P. (2016). Effect of endurance versus resistance training on quadriceps muscle dysfunction in COPD: A pilot study. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Volume 11, 2659–2669. https://doi.org/10.2147/copd.s114351 Langer, D., Ciavaglia, C., Faisal, A., Webb, K. A., Neder, J. A., Gosselink, R., Dacha, S., Topalovic, M., Ivanova, A., & O’Donnell, D. E. (2018). Inspiratory muscle training reduces diaphragm activation and dyspnea during exercise in COPD. Journal of Applied Physiology, 125(2), 381–392. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01078.2017 Martinez FJ, Han MK, Allinson JP, Barr RG, Boucher RC, Calverley PMA, Celli BR, Christenson SA, Crystal RG, Fagerås M, Freeman CM, Groenke L, Hoffman EA, Kesimer M, Kostikas K, Paine R, Rafii S, Rennard SI, Segal LN, Shaykhiev R, Stevenson C, Tal-Singer R, V. (n.d.). At the root: Defining and halting progression of early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29406779/.

References. Silva, C. M., Gomes Neto, M., Saquetto, M. B., Conceição, C. S., & Souza-Machado, A. (2018). Effects of upper limb resistance exercise on aerobic capacity, muscle strength, and quality of life in COPD patients: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation, 32(12), 1636–1644. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215518787338 Singh, D., Agusti, A., Anzueto, A., Barnes, P., Bourbeau, J., Celli, B., Criner, G., Frith, P., Halpin, D., Han, M., Lopez Varela, M. V., Martinez, F., Montes de Oca, M., Papi, A., Pavord, I., Roche, N., Sin, D., Stockley, R., Vestbo, J., … Vogelmeier, C. (2019). Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Gold executive summary updated 2003. COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 1(1), 105–141. https://doi.org/10.1081/copd-120030163 Soriano, J. B., Polverino, F., & Cosio, B. G. (2018). What is early COPD and why is it important? European Respiratory Journal, 52(6), 1801448. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.01448-2018 Vogelmeier, C. F., Criner, G. J., Martinez, F. J., Anzueto, A., Barnes, P. J., Bourbeau, J., Celli, B. R., Chen, R., Decramer, M., Fabbri, L. M., Frith, P., Halpin, D. M. G., López Varela, M. V., Nishimura, M., Roche, N., Rodriguez‐Roisin, R., Sin, D. D., Singh, D., Stockley, R., … Agusti, A. (2017). Global strategy for the diagnosis, management and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2017 report. Respirology, 22(3), 575–601. https://doi.org/10.1111/resp.13012 Wada, J., Borges-Santos, E., Porras, D., Paisani, D., Cukier, A., Lunardi, A., & Carvalho, C. (2016). Effects of aerobic training combined with respiratory muscle stretching on the functional exercise capacity and thoracoabdominal kinematics in patients with COPD: A randomized and controlled trial. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Volume 11, 2691–2700. https://doi.org/10.2147/copd.s114548.