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Aerobic and Respiratory Exercises on Asthma

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Asthma
Interventions
Other: Aerobic and Breathing Exercises
Other: Aerobic and Stretching Exercises
Registration Number
NCT04412720
Lead Sponsor
University of Sao Paulo General Hospital
Brief Summary

Many studies have reported the benefits of aerobic and breathing exercises such as, reduction of symptoms and reduced the use of medications, the number of crises, exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), and improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study will be a randomized and controlled trial (RCT) with 2 parallel arms and blinded assessment. Fifty-four moderate or severe patients with asthma under optimized medication will be randomly assigned (computer-generated) into either aerobic+breathing exercises (AB) or aerobic+stretching exercises (AS). All patients will receive the same educational session and will perform the physical exercise proposed for the group for 12 weeks, 2 times/week, 60-minute sessions; however, the AB group will perform Buteyko breathing technique and AS will perform muscle stretching exercise. All patients will be assessed to clinical control, quality of life, psychosocial symptoms, pulmonary function, functional capacity, physical activity levels, sleep quality, thoracoabdominal mechanics, hyperventilation symptoms, and asthma exacerbation. The data normality will be analyzed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov. The variables obtained before interventions will be compared using the t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test. Comparisons of the outcomes initial and final data will be analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA with appropriate post hoc test. The significance level will be set to 5% for all tests.

Detailed Description

Many studies have reported the benefits of aerobic and breathing exercises such as, reduction of symptoms and reduced the use of medications, the number of crises, exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), and improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study will be a randomized and controlled trial (RCT) with 2 parallel arms and blinded assessment. Fifty-four moderate or severe patients with asthma under optimized medication will be randomly assigned (computer-generated) into either aerobic+breathing exercises (AB) or aerobic+stretching exercises (AS). All patients will receive the same educational session and will perform the physical exercise proposed for the group for 12 weeks, 2 times/week, 60-minute sessions; however, the AB group will perform Buteyko breathing technique and AS will perform muscle stretching exercise. All patients will be assessed to clinical control, quality of life, psychosocial symptoms, pulmonary function, functional capacity, physical activity levels, sleep quality, thoracoabdominal mechanics, hyperventilation symptoms, and asthma exacerbation. The data normality will be analyzed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov. The variables obtained before interventions will be compared using the t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test. Comparisons of the outcomes initial and final data will be analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA with appropriate post hoc test. The significance level will be set to 5% for all tests.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
52
Inclusion Criteria
  • Asthma moderate and severe with diagnosed according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2020
  • Sedentary (< 150 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity/week)
  • Body Mass Index ≥18.5 kg/m2 and <35 kg/m2
  • Medical treatment, for at least 6 months
  • Clinically stable (i.e., no exacerbation or changes in medication for at least 30 days)
Exclusion Criteria
  • Cardiovascular, musculoskeletal or other chronic lung diseases
  • Active Cancer
  • Pregnant
  • Uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes
  • Current smoker or ex smoker (>10 pack-years)
  • Psychiatric disease or cognitive deficit

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Aerobic and Breathing ExercisesAerobic and Breathing ExercisesThe experimental intervention will be aerobic and breathing exercises.
Aerobic and Stretching ExercisesAerobic and Stretching ExercisesThe active comparative intervention will be aerobic and stretching exercises.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in asthma clinical controlChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

Clinical control will be evaluated by the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ). The ACQ contains 7 items rated on a 7-point scale (0 = without limitation, 6 = maximum limitation), with a higher score indicating worse control. Scores lower than 0.75 are associated with good asthma control, whereas scores greater than 1.5 are indicative of poorly controlled asthma, and a change of at least 0.5 points in the ACQ score is regarded as clinically significant.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in pulmonary function in absolute valuesChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

Lung volumes will be assessed by Spirometry. The variables which will be assessed are Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and Forced Expiratory Volume in first 1 second (FEV1), all them in liters.

Change in sleep qualityChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

Sleep quality will be objectively quantified using a movement sensor (ActiGraph, Pensacola, USA) for 7 consecutive nights on the wrist (non-dominant side), and by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI consists of 9 items divided into the following 7 domains: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction over the last month. A global sum of "5"or greater indicates a "poor" sleeper.

Change in asthma exacerbationChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

Asthma exacerbation will be assessed by the following criteria: the use of ≥4 puffs of rescue medication per 24 hours during a 48-hour period, a need for systemic corticosteroids, an unscheduled medical appointment, and either a visit to an emergency room or hospitalization.

Change in health related quality of lifeChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

Health related quality of life will be assessed by Asthma Quality Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). The AQLQ consists of 32 items rated on a 7-point scale (1 = great deal, 7 = not at all) divided into the following 4 domains: activity limitations, symptoms, emotional function and environmental stimuli. Higher AQLQ scores indicate a better quality of life, and treatments resulting in a 0.5-point increase in scores following an intervention are considered to be clinically effective.

Change in pulmonary function in predict valuesChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

The variables which will be assessed are predicted values for brazilian population of Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in first 1 second (FEV1), and FEV1/FVC ratio.

Change in psychosocial symptomsChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

Symptoms of anxiety and depression symptoms will be assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADs), which consists of 14 items divided into 2 subscales (7 for anxiety and 7 for depression). Each item is scored from 0 to 3, with a maximum score of 21 points for each subscale. A score greater than 8/9 in each subscale suggests a diagnosis of either anxiety and/or depression.

Change in functional capacityChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

The functional capacity will be assessed by the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT)

Change in physical activity levelsChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour will be objectively quantified using a movement sensor (ActiGraph, Pensacola, USA) for 7 consecutive days on the hip using an elastic belt. Sedentary behaviour will be quantify by the time spent sedentary (\< 100 counts/min).

Change in thoracoabdominal mechanicsChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

The thoracoabdominal mechanics will be assessed by optoelectronic plethysmography

Change in hyperventilation symptomsChange from baseline to 10 weeks of intervention

Hyperventilation symptoms will be assessed by the Nijmegen Questionnaire which consists of 16 items. Each item is scored from 0 to 4. A score greater than 23 suggest a positive diagnosis of hyperventilation.

syndrome.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Celso Ricardo Fernandes de Carvalho

🇧🇷

São Paulo, Brazil

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