LAUSR

Aerobic and breathing exercises are non-pharmacological interventions recommended by the asthma guidelines to improve clinical control for asthmatic patients; however, the comparison between both interventions has not been evaluated. Our aim was to compare the effects of aerobic versus breathing exercises on clinical control and airway inflammation in patients with persistent moderate to severe asthma. Methods: Fifty-four asthmatic patients were randomized into aerobic (AG, n=26) or breathing exercises (BG, n=24). Both interventions lasted 24 sessions (2/week, 40 min/session). Before and 3 months after the interventions, asthma clinical control (ACQ), quality of life (AQLQ); asthma symptoms, airway inflammation, exercise capacity and pulmonary function were evaluated. Results: No difference was detected between groups at baseline. After the interventions, both groups improved ACQ, however, only patients in the AG reached a clinically significant difference (AG=0.69±0.21 vs. BG=0.38±0.17) which persisted for 3 months after the intervention (follow-up). Only patients from the AG improved AQLQ; however, this improvement was not observed on follow-up. AG and BG also significantly improved exercise capacity without significant difference between them (respectively, 98±19 vs. 63±17m; p>0.05); only AG reached significant clinical improvement. Besides, only patients from the AG reduced eosinophils on sputum (p Conclusion: Both interventions provide benefits to patients with persistent moderate to severe asthma, however, aerobic exercise leads to greater clinical benefits which last longer