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 ) .
The influence of 6 months of oral anabolic steroids on body mass and respiratory muscles in undernourished COPD patients.
STUDY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the influence of oral anabolic steroids on body mass index ( BMI ) , lean body mass , anthropometric measures , respiratory muscle strength , and functional exercise capacity among subjects with COPD . DESIGN Prospect i ve , r and omized , controlled , double-blind study . SETTING Pulmonary rehabilitation program . PARTICIPANTS Twenty-three undernourished male COPD patients in whom BMI was below 20 kg/m2 and the maximal inspiratory pressure ( PImax ) was below 60 % of the predicted value . INTERVENTION The study group received 250 mg of testosterone i.m . at baseline and 12 mg of oral stanozolol a day for 27 weeks , during which time the control group received placebo . Both groups participated in inspiratory muscle exercises during weeks 9 to 27 and cycle ergometer exercises during weeks 18 to 27 . MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Seventeen of 23 subjects completed the study . Weight increased in nine of 10 subjects who received anabolic steroids ( mean , + 1.8+/-0.5 kg ; p<0.05 ) , whereas the control group lost weight ( -0.4+/-0.2 kg ) . The study group 's increase in BMI differed significantly from that of the control group from weeks 3 to 27 ( p<0.05 ) . Lean body mass increased in the study group at weeks 9 and 18 ( p<0.05 ) . Arm muscle circumference and thigh circumference also differed between groups ( p<0.05 ) . Changes in PImax ( study group , 41 % ; control group , 20 % ) were not statistically significant . No changes in the 6-min walk distance or in maximal exercise capacity were identified in either group . CONCLUSION The administration of oral anabolic steroids for 27 weeks to malnourished male subjects with COPD was free of clinical or biochemical side effects . It was associated with increases in BMI , lean body mass , and anthropometric measures of arm and thigh circumference , with no significant changes in endurance exercise capacity
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 ) .