Effects of Long Term Physical Training Once a Week on Fitness and Quality of Life in Elderly Asthmatics
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Asthma
- Sponsor
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
- Enrollment
- 24
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Maximum oxygen uptake
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 16 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
This controlled study is undertaken to investigate the effects of a long term outpatient training program on physical fitness and quality of life in elderly asthmatics.
Detailed Description
Physical training is well known to support a healthy lifestyle. Patients with asthma are often unnecessarily restricted of physical activities or avoid exercise due to the unpleasant experience of exercise-induced dyspnea. As a consequence both children and adults with asthma are less fit than their peers. Like in healthy individuals, regular training supports health in asthmatics. In short-term training programs improvements of physical capabilities have been achieved in children and young adults with asthma. Programs of longer durations than 3 months have not been published in controlled trials. Effects of exercise training on quality of life in adult asthmatics are lacking.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •physician diagnosed asthma
- •non-smoker
- •stable condition
- •informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
- •participation in pulmonary rehabilitation in the past 12 months prior to study inclusion
- •unability to attend training sessions on a regular basis for one year
- •symptomatic coronary heart disease
- •uncontrolled heart failure
- •hemodynamically relevant cardiac rhythm disorders
- •hemodynamically relevant cardiac valvular disorders
- •uncontrolled arterial hypertension
- •hypercapnic respiratory failure
- •severe hypoxemia (i.e. PaO2 \<50 mm Hg resp. SaO2 \<80% at rest)
- •history of decompensated right heart failure
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Maximum oxygen uptake
Time Frame: One year
Maximum oxygen uptake measured during unsteady state cycle ergometer test with work increments of 10 watts each minute until exhaustion.
Secondary Outcomes
- General quality of life(One year)
- Disease-specific quality of life(One year)