Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Senior Consultant Jesper Magnus Magnusson, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden
- Second opponent: Researcher Trine Tegdan Moholdt, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor II Jonny Hisdal, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor II Anners Lerdal, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Researcher Elisabeth Edvardsen, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and Oslo University Hospital
Summary
Lung transplantation is life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage lung disease. Prior to lung transplantation, patients with end-stage lung disease have markedly reduced physical performance due to a sedentary lifestyle caused by difficulty breathing. After lung transplantation, it has been observed that exercise intolerance persists for several years.
The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of high-intensity training among lung transplant recipients on cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, health-related quality of life, physical activity level, body composition and bone mineral density.
Fifty-four lung transplant recipients were included in a randomized controlled trial comparing high-intensity training to usual care. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by peak oxygen uptake during a cardiopulmonary exercise test. Muscular strength was assessed by one- repetition maximum in arm- and leg press. Health-related quality of life was assessed by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Physical activity level was assessed by the number of steps per day and time spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity level measured by accelerometers. Body composition and bone mineral density were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
Following lung transplantation, there was no overall effect of high-intensity training on cardiorespiratory fitness. However, sub-analyses suggest that high-intensity training initiated early (<2 years) after transplantation may have beneficial effects. High-intensity training led to significant improvements in muscular strength, and the mental health aspect of health-related quality of life. There were no significant effects on physical activity, body composition or bone mineral density. However, a tendency toward improved body composition and bone mineral density was observed.
The findings in this thesis provide new and important knowledge regarding the effect of high-intensity training after lung transplantation, which may play an important role for lung transplant recipients’ physical fitness.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.