PULMONARY REHABILITATION IN COPD PATIENTS. OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

The aim was to analyze the effects of an 8-week pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program on quality of life (QoL), physical performance (6MWD value - six-minute walk test) and pulmonary function in patients with mild and moderate COPD. Material and methods: 23 subjects with COPD with FEV1 >= 50% were assigned to a clinic treatment group (n=12) or a home exercise group (n=11). Subjects in the first group received supervised exercise program over a 6-week period after 2 weeks inpatient PR program. Subjects in the second group received the same exercise program initially in hospital, followed by 6 weeks of home exercises, reinforced by a clinic visit at 2 weeks. Measured outcomes were the 6MWD, the generic QoL scale St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire Disease (SCRQ) and statistical analysis by ANOVA test. Results: Both groups showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in 6MWD and SCRQ scores at 8 weeks; improvements were still evident in both groups at 3 months. By 8 weeks, SGRQ scores had improved in both groups with 28% and 24%; 6 MWD had improved with 13% and 5%, and important differences were observed in the mean changes of 6MWD: 56.42 m in the first group, 17.7 m in the second group. At 3 months, the results of both groups were substantially and about equally improved over baseline measurements. Conclusions: Subjects in the first group were more satisfied with the overall outcome of their rehabilitation treatment compared with subjects in the second group.