Meta- analysis revealed few clinical ly relevant and statistically significant benefits of " add-on " therapies on exercise performance compared with exercise training .
The aim of this review was to identify the effectiveness of therapies added on to conventional exercise training to maximise exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) .
Vitamin D supplementation during rehabilitation in COPD: a secondary analysis of a randomized trial
Rationale Pulmonary rehabilitation is an important treatment for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease , who are often vitamin D deficient . As vitamin D status is linked to skeletal muscle function , we aim ed to explore if high dose vitamin D supplementation can improve the outcomes of rehabilitation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . Material and methods This study is a post-hoc subgroup analysis of a larger r and omized trial comparing a monthly dose of 100.000 IU of vitamin D with placebo to reduce exacerbations . 50 Subjects who followed a rehabilitation program during the trial are included in this analysis . We report changes from baseline in muscle strength and exercise performance between both study arms after 3 months of rehabilitation . Results Vitamin D intervention result ed in significantly higher median vitamin D levels compared to placebo ( 51 [ 44 - 62 ] ng/ml vs 15 [ 13 - 30 ] ng/ml ; p < 0.001 ) . Patients receiving vitamin D had significantly larger improvements in inspiratory muscle strength ( -11±12 cmH2O vs 0±14 cmH2O ; p = 0.004 ) and maximal oxygen uptake ( 110±211 ml/min vs -20±187 ml/min ; p = 0.029 ) . Improvements in quadriceps strength ( 15±16 Nm ) or six minutes walking distance ( 40±55 meter ) were not significantly different from the effects in the placebo group ( 7±19 Nm and 11±74 meter ; p>0.050 ) . Conclusion High dose vitamin D supplementation during rehabilitation may have mild additional benefits to training
Meta- analysis revealed few clinical ly relevant and statistically significant benefits of " add-on " therapies on exercise performance compared with exercise training .
The aim of this review was to identify the effectiveness of therapies added on to conventional exercise training to maximise exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) .