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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: August 24, 2019
Acute inflammatory and anabolic systemic responses to peak and constant-work-rate exercise bout in hospitalized
Martijn A Spruit1, Thierry Troosters, Rik Gosselink
1Respiratory Rehabilitation and Respiratory Division, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
Study Objectives:
To explore the acute systemic inflammatory and anabolic effects of cycling in hospital admitted patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and in patients with clinically stable disease.
Design:
Cross-sectional comparative study.
Setting:
University Hospital Gasthuisberg, a tertiary care setting.
Patients:
16 patients with clinically stable COPD (no acute exacerbation in the past 12 weeks; median age: 73 years (IQR: 60 to 75); median forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1): 45% predicted (IQR: 33 to 58)) and 14 patients who were admitted to a hospital due to an acute exacerbation of COPD (median age: 65 years (IQR: 59 to 74); median FEV1 on day 8 of hospital stay: 41% predicted (IQR: 33 to 54)).
Interventions:
None.
Measurements And Results:
Circulating levels of C reactive protein, interleukin 6, interleukin 8 and insulin-like growth factor I were determined before, at the end and 2 and 30 minutes after a symptom-limited peak cycling test and before, at the end and 2 and 30 minutes after a symptom-limited constant-work-rate cycling test at 70% of the peak load. Non-significant changes in the circulating markers of inflammation and anabolism were found during or up to 30 minutes after ceasing the peak or constant-work-rate cycling exercise tests. The systemic responses of the hospitalized patients with COPD did not differ from those with clinically stable disease.
Conclusions:
High-intensity cycling exercises did not increase the circulating levels of inflammatory markers in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, irrespective of their clinical stability.
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