Assessment of the Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) and Aerobic Training on the Quality of Life of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abedi Yekta, Amir Hossein; Poursaeid Esfahani, Mehrshad; Salehi, Shahin; Hassabi, Mohammad; Khosravi, Shahrzad; Kharabian, Shahram; Sohrabi, Mohammad Reza; Mafi, Amir Ali; Rezaei, Saeed

Assessment of the Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) and Aerobic Training on the Quality of Life of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Authors

Amir Hossein Abedi Yekta ¹

Mehrshad Poursaeid Esfahani ¹

Shahin Salehi ²

Mohammad Hassabi ²

Shahrzad Khosravi ³

Shahram Kharabian ³

Mohammad Reza Sohrabi ³

Amir Ali Mafi ⁴

Saeed Rezaei ²

¹ Department of Sports Medicine, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

² Department of Sports Medicine, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,

³ Department of Sports Medicine, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Clinical Research Development Center of Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) and aerobic exercise on healthrelated quality of life of patients with COPD. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 60 patients with moderate to severe COPD, who were referred to Imam Hossein Hospital of Tehran, Iran in 2016. The patients were randomly assigned to four groups and treated for eight weeks. Group 1 (n=16) participated in 16 sessions of IMT (15 minutes per session), group 2 (n=14) performed aerobic exercises twice a week (40 minutes per session), group 3 (n=15) performed IMT and aerobic exercises, and group 4 (n=15) received no intervention, except for routine treatments (control). Quality of life was evaluated based on the Saint George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) at baseline, week 4, and week 8 after the intervention. Results: After eight weeks, all four groups experienced a significant improvement in their quality of life (p <0.05), and group 3 (IMT and aerobic exercise) showed the greatest improvement. However, quality of life improvement in group 4 (control) was less than the other three groups (p <0.05). Conclusion: Aerobic exercise and IMT were more effective than routine protocols in improving the quality of life of COPD patients. Furthermore, shortterm IMT plus aerobic exercise had the greatest impact on improving the health-related quality of life of COPD patients and could be used in the management of these patients.

Keywords

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Inspiratory muscle training

Aerobic exercise

Quality of life