Effects of Six Months of Supervised High-Intensity Interval Training on Lung Blood Flow and Function in COPD Patients Aged 40 to 79

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the effects of six months of supervised high-intensity interval training HIIT on lung blood flow and lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD aged 40 to 79 years. The study aims to determine if HIIT can increase pulmonary blood volume during exercise and improve pulmonary gas exchange, while also examining the formation of new lung tissue and changes in symptom severity. Additional goals include exploring HIITs impact on lung function, peak oxygen uptake, functional ability, body composition, blood markers, and heart function. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups an experimental group undergoing 24 weeks of supervised HIIT with three weekly exercise sessions, or a control group encouraged to maintain their usual exercise and eating habits without HIIT. The HIIT sessions involve interval training protocols, either four 4-minute intervals with active rest periods or ten 1-minute intervals, both including warm-up and cool-down phases. Training sessions occur at the clinic or at home under supervision. Participants visit the clinic before and after the intervention period for assessments. Throughout the 24 weeks, their exercise habits, adverse events, hospital admissions, infections, and medications are monitored by phone at regular intervals. Physical activity is tracked using 24-hour accelerometers worn for five consecutive days at several points during the study. The primary outcome measured is pulmonary blood volume at rest after six months, alongside secondary measures including lung tissue mass and pulmonary gas exchange during rest and exercise.

Cardiopulmonary Adaptations to High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT) in COPD