Elsevier

The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 142, Issue 2, February 2003, Pages 179-184
The Journal of Pediatrics

Original Articles
Training of aerobic and anaerobic fitness in children with asthma

https://doi.org/10.1067/mpd.2003.83Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective To assess the effect of a training protocol on aerobic and anaerobic fitness in children with asthma. Study design Sixteen boys (mean age: 13 years; range: 10-16 years) with mild-to-moderate asthma participated in a rehabilitation program that included 6 weeks of individualized training on a cycle ergometer. Two groups were randomly formed: the control group (CG, n = 7) and the training group (TG, n = 9), which exercised at an intensity set at the heart rate corresponding to the ventilatory threshold, with 1-minute sprints against the maximal aerobic power (MAP) every 4 minutes. Session duration was 45 minutes, 3 sessions per week. Changes in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), MAP, short-term peak power (PP), and pulmonary function were assessed. Results Two patients of the training group did not complete the study. Pulmonary function remained unchanged in both groups. Improvement in both aerobic and anaerobic fitness was significant only in the training group (TG vs CG): VO2max +18% ± 2.1% versus +9% ± 4.5% (P <.05), MAP +32% ± 5% versus 12% ± 7% (P <.05), PP +21% ± 5.7% versus +8.8% ± 10% (P <.01). Conclusion Exercise training with high-intensity bouts is well tolerated in children with mild-to-moderate asthma. When included in a global rehabilitation program, this type of training improves both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Anaerobic activities should be considered in sports rehabilitation programs for children with asthma. (J Pediatr 2003;142:179-84)

Section snippets

Subjects

Sixteen male children with a mean age of 13 years (range, 10-16 years) volunteered to participate in a rehabilitation program for subjects with asthma. These patients were attending two inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation clinics in Font Romeu, a small city in the Pyrenees Mountains of southwestern France. Inclusion in the study required one month of acclimatization to altitude (1400 m), 6 weeks without any acute episode of wheezing, one year without emergency department visits or

Tolerance and side effects

The exercise tests were well tolerated. Peak power performed during the FV test was 3-fold higher than MAP. During the training sessions, the maximal drop in peak flow was −40%. Two subjects did not complete the training program because of a limb fracture unrelated to training in one and fatigue and lack of motivation in the other. The basal PFTs were not modified in these 2 patients and their clinical course remained stable. PFTs and lability of postexercise airways flows were not modified in

Discussion

The anaerobic fitness of asthmatic children can be improved by a specific training protocol that includes a combination of ventilatory threshold workloads and high-intensity workloads. This protocol was well tolerated by children with stabilized, mild-to-moderate asthma, which was shown by the absence of significant adverse reactions. One subject of the 7 who completed the training protocol, however, had a poor tolerance attributed to either muscular fatigue or poor motivation. As part of a

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  • Cited by (0)

    Reprint requests: F-P Counil, MD, PhD, Service de Pédiatrie I, 371 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34295 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France. E-mail: [email protected].

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