Physical Activity Intervention and Cardiovascular Risk Markers in COPD

For those with COPD, both physical activity (PA) interventions and pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) seem to be promising to potentially lower the risk of CVD. PA interventions seem to be promising in improving outcomes of COPD but there is lack of evidence on how the effectiveness of PA interventions compared with the gold standard intervention of PR. However, the outcomes of both interventions have not been extensively investigated, nor have they been directly compared. The immediate effects of pulmonary rehabilitation and PA interventions on cardiovascular risk factors for individuals with COPD have not been extensively investigated or compared. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of conducting a trial to compare the impact of pulmonary rehabilitation and physical activity interventions in a number of important clinical outcomes including cardiovascular risk. Investigation and data collection will be taking place within University Hospitals of Leicester NHS trust sites. The investigators are aiming to recruit 50 COPD patients who are eligible for a pulmonary rehabilitation programme to investigate the effect of physical activity intervention compared to pulmonary rehabilitation with respect to cardiovascular risks. The study will measure various outcomes, immediately before, immediately after interventions. These outcomes will include measures in aerobic fitness (walking test), strength tests, physical activity level, quality of life, breathlessness questionnaires. In addition, blood sampling and body measurements will be completed. The investigators will also measure arterial stiffness with a non-invasive technique. Arterial stiffness is a hardening of the artery wall. In a subgroup study, 20 participants will have additional visits and measures. The investigators will be doing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diagnostic pictures of the inside of the body which is used for picturing the fat tissue around the abdomen. The investigators will be also doing a postprandial lipaemic test which is testing the fat level in the circulating blood after a high-fat meal. The investigators will do this test as before and after the intervention to allow for comparison.