COPD and physical activity – a 2-year follow-up of the TIE study

One goal for treatment in stable COPD is to improve exercise tolerance. Besides pharmacological treatment, non-pharmacological treatments are essential for the patient's quality of life, such as promoting physical activity by healthcare personnel. In an observational study, the self-reported daily activity was investigated in a cohort of COPD subjects with spirometry- and physician-verified diagnoses (the TIE study). They were grouped by weekly exercise <150 min (low group n=107) and ≥150 min (high group n=244) at inclusion and followed for two years. Data are given in median (IQR). During the 2-yrs follow-up, the low group increased their weekly exercise, from 70 (0,120) to 140 (70, 210) min, p<0.001, without a change in the high group, 317 (210, 499) and 300 (210, 473) min, respectively. Questionnaires were used for the impact of COPD with CAT (p<0.001), health status with CCQ (p=0.005), and the dyspnoea scale with mMRC≥2 (p<0.001), which were lower in the high activity group at inclusion, but only mMRC≥2 remained lower after two years (p=0.041). There were no differences between the groups in age, sex, current smokers, BMI, exacerbations or co-morbidities. Reported visits to healthcare in stable condition were low. At inclusion, 11% in the low-exercise group and 16% in the high-exercise group visited a physiotherapist, and 39% and 36% visited a physician, respectively. In conclusion, COPD subjects with higher weekly exercise report fewer symptoms than those with low weekly exercise. However, the low-exercise group could double their exercise when enrolling in the study. This points towards the importance of motivating our patients to engage in physical activity.