Acute inflammatory and anabolic systemic responses to peak and constant-work-rate exercise bout in hospitalized patients with COPD

STUDY OBJECTIVES To explore the acute systemic inflammatory and anabolic effects of cycling in hospital admitted patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and in patients with clinically stable disease. DESIGN Cross-sectional comparative study. SETTING University Hospital Gasthuisberg, a tertiary care setting. PATIENTS 16 patients with clinically stable COPD (no acute exacerbation in the past 12 weeks; median age: 73 years (IQR: 60 to 75); median forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1): 45% predicted (IQR: 33 to 58)) and 14 patients who were admitted to a hospital due to an acute exacerbation of COPD (median age: 65 years (IQR: 59 to 74); median FEV1 on day 8 of hospital stay: 41% predicted (IQR: 33 to 54)). INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Circulating levels of C reactive protein, interleukin 6, interleukin 8 and insulin-like growth factor I were determined before, at the end and 2 and 30 minutes after a symptom-limited peak cycling test and before, at the end and 2 and 30 minutes after a symptom-limited constant-work-rate cycling test at 70% of the peak load. Non-significant changes in the circulating markers of inflammation and anabolism were found during or up to 30 minutes after ceasing the peak or constant-work-rate cycling exercise tests. The systemic responses of the hospitalized patients with COPD did not differ from those with clinically stable disease. CONCLUSIONS High-intensity cycling exercises did not increase the circulating levels of inflammatory markers in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, irrespective of their clinical stability.