[Specific effect of exercise training on depression in COPD patients]

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Cardiovascular Rehabilitation

Background:

• Depression is a frequent comorbidity in COPD patients, negatively impacting their quality of life and physical activity.
• Access to respiratory rehabilitation programs is limited for many COPD patients.
• In clinical practice, exercise training is often the primary therapeutic intervention provided.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of exercise training on depression and quality of life in COPD patients.
• To evaluate the specific effects of a home-based exercise program.
• To correlate changes in exercise capacity with quality of life and depression scores.

Main Methods:

• 182 COPD patients completed a 12-week home-based exercise training program.
• Depression was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory short form (BDI-SF).
• Quality of life was assessed using the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ).
• Exercise capacity was evaluated by the TE (Total Exercise).

Main Results:

• Exercise training led to significant improvements in dyspnoea (mMRC), quality of life (SGRQ), depression (BDI-SF), and exercise capacity (TE).
• Specifically, SGRQ scores decreased from 45±15 to 34±18, and BDI-SF scores decreased from 4.2±5.1 to 2.7±4.3.
• Improvements in exercise capacity (TE) were significantly correlated with improvements in SGRQ (r=0.4, P<0.001) and BDI-SF (r=-0.24, P=0.001) scores.

Conclusions:

• Home-based exercise training is effective in improving dyspnoea, quality of life, and depression in COPD patients.
• The program enhanced exercise capacity, with significant correlations observed between improvements in exercise capacity and depression scores.