Effect of physical training on peak oxygen consumption rate and exercise-induced asthma in adult asthmatics

Sixteen adults with perennial asthma were trained for 2 months using heavy exercise. Eleven comparable subjects performing light exercise with the same frequency and duration served as controls. After the training the peak oxygen consumption rate (Vo2max) was increased by 10% (P = 0.02) in the heavily trained group, whereas no significant change was observed in the control group. The difference in Vo2max between males and females averaged 20% and is thus of the same magnitude as found in healthy subjects. An exercise-induced asthma (EIA) test comprising 6 min of free running was carried out in all participants in both training groups before and after the training period. The post-exercise decrease in pulmonary function assessed by peak expiratory flow (PEF) was 36 + 4% (mean +/- SEM) before heavy training and 33 +/- 2% after two months of training (paired t-test: P = 0.18); for the control group the decrease was 40 +/- 6% and 40 +/- 7% (P = 0.22), respectively, at the pre- and post-training investigation. It is concluded that physical training may increase the Vo2max in asthmatic patients by the same amount as in normal subjects, whereas no influence on the degree of EIA could be detected.