The Effect of 8 Weeks HIIT on FEV1, FVC, and Heart Rate Reserve in Women with Mild Asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the respiratory tract and one of the most common diseases causing disability and obstruction of the airways. Regular exercise can reduce chronic illnesses such as asthma. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of 8 weeks of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on some of the pulmonary parameters and heart rate reserve of women with mild asthma.

In this quasi-experimental and applied research, 20 women aged 20 to 40 years old with mild asthma who were admitted to Imam Hospital Respiratory Testing Center in 2018 voluntarily participated in this study. The subjects were randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group performed an 8-week exercise program on a bicycle ergometer with an intensity of 70-80% of maximal heart rate 20-30 minutes 3 times a week, and the control group underwent pharmacotherapy. After the training program, both groups were tested. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance, independent t-test and paired t-test.

According to the results, FVC decreased in both groups but the decrease was not significant (0.236). The variable FEV1 decreased in the exercise group and the decrease was significant (0.034). The FEV1 / FVC ratio in both groups increased compared to the pretest and a significant difference was observed between the two groups (0.027). There was an increase in the Heart Rate Reserve in the post-test in both groups and no significant difference was observed between the two groups (0.117).

Intense intermittent exercise had no effect on improving the clinical manifestations of mild asthma, but improved the quality of life and function of some pulmonary parameters of asthmatic women and also slightly improved the function of respiratory muscles and airways.