Exercise Limitation Factors of Patients with Chronic Respiratory Failure: a Comparison of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Sequelae of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

Abstract.[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to explain the difference in characteristics of exercise limitation factors of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sequelea of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB-s) .[Subjects] The subjects were 29 patients with COPD (28 males, 1 female; 70.6 ± 8.0 years) and 8 patients with PTB-s (5 males, 3 females; 69.5 ± 9.5 years). [Method] We conducted the cardiopulmonary exercise test. This test was conducted using a respiratory metabolism measuring device with a electronically braked cycle ergometer and simultaneous breath-by-breath analysis of expired gas. Main outcome measures were oxygen uptake (peak V • CO 2 . The Peak O 2 pulse, an index of circulatory ability, was 6.6 ± 1.8 ml/beats/min in COPD and 4.5 ± 1.4 ml/beats/min in PTB-s (p<0.01), showing that the reaction of the circulatory system to exercise was poor in both groups. [Conclusions] We suggest that the difference in characteristics of exercise limitation factors of patients with COPD and PTB-S are circulatory ability. Studies of the synergistic effects of pharmacotherapy and kinesitherapy on the circulatory system may enable the establishment of a rehabilitation program based on disease-specific characteristics of PTB-s.