Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation training is an important means of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, some people think that its effect is not satisfactory, and there is a lack of understanding of the effect of pulmonary rehabilitation training on T cell immune function. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of pulmonary rehabilitation training on lung function, quality of life and T cell immune function in stable COPD patients.
Methods: Seventy-two stable COPD patients recruited from the Outpatient department of Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University and Wuxi Huishan Rehabilitation Hospital, and divided them into experimental group (39 cases) and control group (33 cases) by random number table method. Both groups were received routine drug therapy, COPD knowledge education, and smoking cessation treatment. On this basis, the experimental group received daily pulmonary rehabilitation training, including pursed-lip breathing (PLB) training, abdominal breathing training, skeletal muscle training, and coughing and expectoration training. Lung function [percentage of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%) and the percentage of FEV1/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC%)], quality of life [6-minute walk test (6MWT), COPD assessment test (CAT score)], and T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+%, CD4+%, CD8+%, and CD4+%/CD8+%) levels were compared by independent sample t-test or paired t-test between the 2 groups before and after 12 weeks of treatment in a double-blind method.
Results: There were no remarkable differences in lung function indexes, 6MWT, CAT score, and T cell immune function between the 2 groups before treatment. After 12 weeks, all indexes in the experimental group (all P<0.01) and T lymphocyte subsets in the control group (CD3+%, CD4+%, CD8+% and CD4+%/CD8+% were 0.010, 0.037, 0.021 and 0.016, respectively) were significantly better than before treatment, and there were no significant differences in lung function,6MWT, and CAT scores in the control group. After 12 weeks, all indexes in the experimental group were significantly better than those in the control group except CD8+% (FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%, 6MWT, CAT score, CD3+%, CD4+% and CD4+%/CD8+% were 0.002, 0.009, <0.001, 0.007, 0.037, 0.046 and <0.001, respectively).
Conclusions: Pulmonary rehabilitation training can improve the lung function, quality of life, and T cell immune function of stable-phase COPD patients. Perhaps the recovery of T-cell immune function is the root of the patient's improvement.
Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100048419.
Keywords: Pulmonary rehabilitation training; T lymphocyte subsets; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); lung function; stable phase.