Frontiers in Medicine · Apr 9, 2026

Effects of concurrent training on exercise capacity and quality of life in older adult patients with COPD: a Bayesian pairwise and dose-response meta-analysis

By Li S, Yin Y, Guan J et al.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effect of concurrent training (CT) on exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to identify the optimal CT dose to enhance 6-min walk distance (6MWD). METHODS: Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effects of CT on exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with COPD were identified through a comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus. A multilevel Bayesian random-effects model was used to conduct both pairwise and dose-response meta-analyses. RESULTS: A total of 1,037 COPD patients were included in the 20 studies. Based on pairwise comparisons, CT was found to significantly improve 6MWD (MD: 44.08; 95% CrI: 33.35-54.72; SD: 20.85; 95% CrI: 13.29-32.26), VO2max (MD: 1.02; 95% CrI: 0.04-2.00; SD: 0.91; 95% CrI: 0.23-2.12), LP 1RM (MD: 30.53; 95% CrI: 3.38-57.71; SD: 2.52; 95% CrI: 0.04-15.19), CP 1RM (MD: 12.20; 95% CrI: 2.77-21.59; SD: 2.44; 95% CrI: 0.05-10.71), and SGRQ score (MD: -8.65; 95% CrI: -10.79 to -6.51; SD: 5.04; 95% CrI: 2.52-8.99). However, no significant improvement was observed in FVC, FEV₁, and FEV₁/FVC. Additionally, a nonlinear dose-response relationship was observed between CT and 6MWD, with the optimal dose identified as 1,220 MET-min/week (MD = 24.83; 95% CrI: 14.96-34.70). CONCLUSIONS: CT was found to significantly improve exercise capacity and quality of life in COPD patients, while showing limited effects on pulmonary function indicators. Moreover, a nonlinear dose-response relationship was identified between CT and 6MWD, with the most pronounced effects observed at a weekly dose of 1,220 MET-min. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, CRD42025630487.

doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1760792 Open access PubMed 42040592 Interventions