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Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Physical Activity in Patients with COPD.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015 Jul 10;
Authors: Spruit MA, Pitta F, McAuley E, ZuWallack RL, Nici L
Abstract
Physical inactivity is common in COPD patients compared to age-matched healthy individuals or even patients with other chronic diseases. Physical inactivity independently predicts poor outcome across several aspects of this disease, but it is (at least in principle) treatable in the COPD patient. Pulmonary rehabilitation has arguably the greatest positive effect of any current therapy on exercise capacity in COPD; as such, gains in this area should facilitate increases in physical activity. Furthermore, since pulmonary rehabilitation also emphasizes behavior change through collaborative self-management, it may aid in the translation of increased exercise capacity to greater participation in activities involving physical activity. Indeed, both exercise capacity increases and adaptive behavior change are necessary to achieve significant and lasting increases in physical activity in the COPD patient. Unfortunately, it is readily assumed that this translation occurs naturally. This clinical concise review will focus on the effects of a comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program on physical activity in patients with COPD. Changing physical activity behavior in patients with COPD needs an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together respiratory medicine, rehabilitation sciences, social sciences and behavioral sciences.
PMID: 26161676 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]