Baseline characteristics of the subjects
| All subjects | Pulmonary rehabilitation group | Control group | p-value | |
| Subjects n | 37 | 18 | 19 | |
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| Age years | 43±10 | 45±11 | 40±9 | 0.12 |
| BMI kg·m−² | 26±4 | 26±4 | 26±4 | 0.61 |
| Dyspnoea | ||||
| BDI (total) | 8 (7–9) | 8 (6–9) | 8 (7–10) | 0.40 |
| mMRC | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 0.63 |
| Daily steps | 8011±4695 | 9298±5513 | 6724±3389 | 0.10 |
| SGRQ (total) | 37.5±20.8 | 40.5±22.1 | 34.7±19.5 | 0.40 |
| HADS (total) | 13 (10–21) | 12 (10–23) | 17 (11–20) | 0.45 |
| Pulmonary function tests | ||||
| FEV1 L | 2.04±0.84 | 1.95±0.84 | 2.1±0.80 | 0.97 |
| FEV1 % pred | 72±28 | 74±30 | 70±27 | 0.67 |
| FEV1/FVC | 0.75 (0.57–0.8) | 0.77 (0.51–0.80) | 0.70 (0.61–0.82) | 0.62 |
| DLCO mL·min−1·mmHg−1 | 16.7±8.1 | 16.6±8.2 | 16.8±8.2 | 0.93 |
| DLCO % pred | 65±31 | 67±33 | 64±30 | 0.79 |
| 6-min walk test | ||||
| 6MWD m | 517 (445–557) | 503 (442–540) | 554 (452–565) | 0.23 |
| 6MWD % pred | 89 (79–98) | 89 (82–95) | 90 (80–95) | 0.85 |
| Incremental CPET | ||||
| Work rate W | 77±33 | 77±33 | 76±35 | 0.93 |
| Work rate % | 58±24 | 61±24 | 56±24 | 0.51 |
| Peak V′O2 mL·min−1 | 1077±369 | 1078±413 | 1077±334 | 1.0 |
| Peak V′O2 mL·kg−1·min−1 | 16.4±49 | 16.9±5.4 | 15.9±4.4 | 0.52 |
| Peak V′O2 % | 72±23 | 76±28 | 70±17 | 0.42 |
| Anaerobic threshold % peak V′O2 | 64±11 | 66±13 | 62±9 | 0.36 |
| Breathing reserve % | 32±20 | 27±23 | 38±16 | 0.09 |
| Heart rate beats·min−1 | 146±23 | 142±22 | 151±24 | 0.22 |
| SpO2 % | 95 (86–97) | 95 (83–96) | 95 (88–98) | 0.34 |
| Borg dyspnoea | 8 (7–9) | 9 (7–9) | 7 (7–9) | 0.70 |
| Borg leg discomfort | 9 (7–10) | 10 (9–10) | 7 (6–10) | 0.14 |
| ΔIC from rest L | −0.13 (−0.30– −0.03) | −0.11 (−0.40–0) | −0.15 (−0.26– −0.07) | 0.66 |
| ΔIC from rest % | −6 (−18– −1) | −4 (−20–0) | −8 (−17– −4) | 0.62 |
Data are presented as mean±sd, or median (interquartile range), unless otherwise stated. BMI: body mass index; BDI: Baseline Dyspnoea Index; mMRC: modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale; SGRQ: St George's Respiratory Questionnaire; HADS: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC: forced vital capacity; DLCO: diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide; 6MWD: 6-min walking distance; CPET: cardiopulmonary exercise test; V′O2: oxygen consumption; SpO2: arterial oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry; IC: inspiratory capacity.