Exercise Limitation Factors of Patients with Chronic Respiratory Failure: a Comparison of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Sequelae of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to explain the difference in characteristics of exercise limitation factors of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sequelea of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB-s) . [Subjects] The subjects were 29 patients with COPD (28 males, 1 female; 70.6 ± 8.0 years) and 8 patients with PTB-s (5 males, 3 females; 69.5 ± 9.5 years). [Method] We conducted the cardiopulmonary exercise test. This test was conducted using a respiratory metabolism measuring device with a electronically braked cycle ergometer and simultaneous breath-by-breath analysis of expired gas. Main outcome measures were oxygen uptake (peak V • O2), minute ventilation (peak V • E), oxygen equivalent (peak V • E/V • O2), carbon dioxide equivalent, (peak V • E/V • CO2), and oxygen pulse (peak O2 pulse) at peak exercise. [Results] There were no significant differences between peak V • O2 and peak V • E/V • O2 and peak V • E/V • CO2. The Peak O2 pulse, an index of circulatory ability, was 6.6 ± 1.8 ml/beats/min in COPD and 4.5 ± 1.4 ml/beats/min in PTB-s (p<0.01), showing that the reaction of the circulatory system to exercise was poor in both groups. [Conclusions] We suggest that the difference in characteristics of exercise limitation factors of patients with COPD and PTB-S are circulatory ability. Studies of the synergistic effects of pharmacotherapy and kinesitherapy on the circulatory system may enable the establishment of a rehabilitation program based on disease-specific characteristics of PTB-s.