Table 3.
Baseline characteristics of the study patients
| Variables | CG | TG |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropometric data | ||
| Gender (M/F) | 7/7 | 8/6 |
| Age (years) | 64±5.6 | 61±5.4 |
| Height (m) | 1.65±0.07 | 1.65±0.08 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.9±2.9 | 25.7±3.8 |
| Pulmonary function | ||
| FEV1 (% pred) | 42.6±9.5 | 45.9±15.5 |
| FEV1/FVC ratio | 0.49±0.09 | 0.56±0.13 |
| Functional exercise capacity | ||
| 6MWT (m) | 439±103 | 473±68 |
| BODE (I/II/III/IV; n) | 3/5/3/1 | 6/6/2/0 |
| Compartmental volumes (mL) | ||
| At rest | ||
| URC | 94±54 | 100±44 |
| LRC | 49±37 | 63±42 |
| ABD | 295±114 | 268±117 |
| During exercise with workload | ||
| URC | 202±93 | 161±83 |
| LRC | 97±93 | 114±112 |
| ABD | 604±253 | 556±222 |
| Inspiratory muscle activity (RMS, 10−3 mV) | ||
| At rest | ||
| Sternocleidomastoid | 0.010±0.01 | 0.011±0.01 |
| Upper intercostal | 0.008±0.01 | 0.009±0.005 |
| Diaphragm | 0.006±0.002 | 0.007±0.003 |
| Rectus abdominis | 0.007±0.001 | 0.007±0.002 |
| During exercise with workload | ||
| Sternocleidomastoid | 0.010±0.01 | 0.020±0.02 |
| Upper intercostal | 0.009±0.002 | 0.020±0.04 |
| Diaphragm | 0.013±0.01 | 0.010±0.01 |
| Rectus abdominis | 0.009±0.005 | 0.010±0.01 |
Note: Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation, except BODE which is expressed by the number of patients.
Abbreviations: ABD, abdominal; BMI, body mass index; BODE, Body-mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise; CG, control group; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC, forced vital capacity; LRC, lower ribcage; M/F, male/female; 6MWT, 6-minute walk test; pred, predicted; RMS, root mean square; TG, treatment group; URC, upper ribcage.