Benefits | Evidence |
Improves exercise capacity | A |
Reduces the perceived intensity of breathlessness | A |
Improves health-related quality of life | A |
Reduces the number of hospitalisations and hospital days | A |
Reduces anxiety and depression associated with COPD | A |
Strength and endurance training of the upper limbs improves arm function | B |
Benefits extend well beyond the immediate period of training | B |
Improves survival | B |
Respiratory muscle training can be beneficial, especially when combined with general exercise training | C |
Category A: randomised controlled trials, rich body of data; Category B: randomised controlled trials, limited body of data; Category C: nonrandomised trials or observational studies. Reproduced from [3] with permission from the publisher.