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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
07:10
Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: August 24, 2019
Systemic and pulmonary oxidative stress after single-leg exercise in COPD
Evi M Mercken1, Harry R Gosker1, Erica P Rutten2
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Chest
|August 22, 2009
Summary
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience increased pulmonary and systemic oxidative stress after exercise. This occurs without a significant increase in systemic inflammation, highlighting unique physiological responses in COPD during physical exertion.
Area of Science:
- Exercise physiology
- Pulmonary medicine
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with impaired physical function.
- The specific contributions of muscular versus pulmonary oxidative stress in COPD patients during exercise remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate the roles of muscular and pulmonary oxidative stress during endurance exercise in COPD patients.
Main Methods:
- Fifteen COPD patients and 10 healthy controls underwent a submaximal single-leg ergometer test.
- Blood, urine, and exhaled breath condensate were collected pre-exercise, immediately post-exercise, and 2 hours post-exercise.
Main Results:
- COPD patients had reduced muscle endurance (Tlim) compared to controls.
- Increased urinary malondialdehyde and uric acid, and a trend for increased erythrocyte oxidized/reduced glutathione were observed in COPD patients.
- Pulmonary oxidative stress, indicated by elevated hydrogen peroxide in breath condensate, significantly increased in COPD patients post-exercise.
Conclusions:
- COPD patients exhibit elevated pulmonary and systemic oxidative stress following localized leg muscle exercise.
- This oxidative stress occurs independently of systemic inflammation markers like IL-6 and TNF-alpha.
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