Anouk W Vaes

CIRO · Program Development Centre

Exercise limitation and physical inactivity are separate, but related constructs. Both are commonly present in individuals with COPD, contribute to disease burden over and above the respiratory impairments, and are independently predictive of adverse outcomes. Because of this, clinicians should consider assessing these variables in their patients w...

Background and objective: Both bronchoscopic lung volume reduction with endobronchial valves (BLVR-EBV) and pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) are effective treatments for improving exercise capacity and patient-reported outcomes in patients with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). According to current recommendations, all BLVR-EBV pat...

The study aim was to identify the most problematic self--reported activities of daily living (ADLs). In a retrospective study, 1935 problematic ADLs were reported by 538 clients with 95% experiencing two or more problematic ADLs. Problematic ADLs were assessed by occupational therapists using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure with walki...

Background In the Netherlands, the prevalence of post COVID-19 condition is estimated at 12.7% at 90–150 days after SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of fatigue and other symptoms, to assess how many patients meet the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) criteria, to identify symptom-based clu...

Purpose of review: Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) is a novel and effective treatment for a specific phenotype of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) characterized by advanced emphysema with static lung hyperinflation and severe breathlessness. This review aims to provide an overview of the recent advances made in BLVR. Recent...

Introduction: Minimally important differences (MIDs) for common outcomes of pulmonary rehabilitation are well documented for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is not known whether MIDs differ based on COPD disease characteristics. This study aimed to estimate MIDs for clinical outcomes of pulmonary rehabilitation depende...

Purpose Long-acting bronchodilators (LABD), in general, reduce respiratory symptoms, improve exercise endurance time and pulmonary function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, there might be heterogeneity in improvement for several outcomes on an individual level. Therefore, we aimed to profile the multidimension...

Rationale: The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is a practical and simple field-based test to assess physical capacity. Several reference equations for six-minute walking distance (6MWD, m) exist, but have a number of limitations that decrease their clinical utility. In addition, no reference equations exist for the 6MWT-derived outcome six-minute walk...

Background Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex, heterogenous disease. It has been suggested that subgroups of people with ME/CFS exist, displaying a specific cluster of symptoms. Investigating symptom-based clusters may provide a better understanding of ME/CFS. Therefore, this study aimed to identify clusters...

Introduction Cardiovascular disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in COPD. Endothelial dysfunction is suggested to be involved in cardiovascular disease pathogenesis, and multiple studies report endothelial dysfunction in COPD. This article summarized the current knowledge on endothelial function in COPD patients. Areas covered...

Background Persistent symptoms, described as long COVID or post-COVID-19 condition, pose a potential public health problem. Here, the design and recruitment of the PRIME post-COVID study is described. PRIME post-COVID is a large-scale population-based observational study that aims to improve understanding of the occurrence, risk factors, social, ph...

Introduction and objectives Current knowledge regarding the measurement properties of the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in patients with asthma is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability, measurement error and construct validity of the 6MWT and identify determinants of 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) in patient...

Heterogeneity of outcomes and measures limits benchmarking pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and effective evidence synthesis. A core outcome set (COS) can minimise this problem. However, it is unclear which outcomes are important for different stakeholders. 1-to-1 interviews were conducted with people with COPD, healthcare professionals (HCPs), resea...

Background: Prevalence of COPD is similar for women and men. Whether sex-related differences exist in the prevalence of treatable traits is unclear. Aim: To explore sex-related differences in treatable traits in COPD. Methods: Two independent samples of patients with COPD referred to secondary (n=530) or tertiary care (n=2012) were analysed retro...

Background Isokinetic testing of peripheral muscle function is valid and reliable in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objective To evaluate whether and to what extent isokinetic testing of quadriceps function meets pre-defined test criteria in patients with COPD; to determine the response to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR)...

Background Fatigue is frequently reported in people with a non-communicable chronic disease. More insight in the nature of this symptom may enhance targeted treatment of fatigue. In this study, we aimed to gain more insight in the prevalence of different types of fatigue and in current prescribed treatment strategies to reduce fatigue in non-commun...

Background Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) improves inspiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity and health status in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, there is no additional effect on top of comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). It is unclear whether patients with different baseline degrees of static h...

Background: There is high heterogeneity of outcomes and measures reported in the literature for pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), which might limit benchmarking and an effective evidence synthesis. A core outcome set (COS) can minimise this problem. It is however unclear which outcomes and measures are most important and suitable for different stakeho...

Background: Evidence suggests sex-related differences in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Whether these differences are reflected in the prevalence of treatable traits remains unknown. Methods: Two samples of patients referred to secondary (n = 530) or tertiary care (n = 2012) were analyzed. Men and women were matched for age, force...

Background: Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is a training method in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to improve inspiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity and health status. It is unclear whether patients with different baseline degrees of static hyperinflation respond differentially to IMT as part of a pulmonary reh...

Background The psychological impact of COVID-19 can be substantial. However, knowledge about long-term psychological outcomes in patients with COVID-19 is scarce. Objective In this longitudinal, observational study, we aimed to reveal symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms of anxiety and depression up to 6 months after the on...

Background Physical capacity (‘can do’) and physical activity (‘do do’) are prognostic indicators in COPD and can be used to subdivide COPD patients into four exclusive subgroups (the so-called “can do, do do” quadrants). This concept might be useful to better understand the impact of physical capacity and physical activity on all-cause mortality i...

Background Falls risk is elevated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the contributing factors. Here, we examined the feasibility of, and initial responses to, large walking perturbations in COPD, as well as the adaptation potential of people with COPD to repeated walking perturbations tha...

Background: Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) using 1-way endobronchial valves (EBV) has become a guideline treatment in patients with advanced emphysema. Evidence from this minimally invasive treatment derives mainly from well-designed controlled trials conducted in high-volume specialized intervention centres. Little is known about real...

(1) To evaluate the prevalence of severe and chronic fatigue in subjects with and without chronic disease; (2) to assess to which extent multi-morbidity contributes to severe and chronic fatigue; and (3) to identify predisposing and associated factors for severe and chronic fatigue and whether these are disease-specific, trans-diagnostic, or generi...

Background: Fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom in patients with persistent complaints following COVID-19 (ie, long COVID). Longitudinal studies examining the intensity of fatigue and differentiating between physical and mental fatigue are lacking. Objective: The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the severity of fatigue over tim...

BACKGROUND The psychological impact of COVID-19 can be substantial. However, knowledge about long-term psychological outcomes in patients with COVID-19 is scarce. OBJECTIVE In this longitudinal, observational study, we aimed to reveal symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms of anxiety and depression up to 6 months after the o...

Background Regular exercise positively affects cardiovascular physiology, translating into the adequate capacity of microvascular blood vessels to dilate in response to acute bouts of exercise. However, this remains unstudied in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who often suffer from cardiovascular comorbidity. Therefore,...

Physical activity (PA) is of key importance for health among healthy persons and individuals with COPD. PA has multiple dimensions that can be assessed and quantified objectively using activity monitors. Moreover, as shown in the published literature, variable methodologies have been used to date to quantify PA among individuals with COPD, precludi...

Background: Reduced physical activity is common in COPD and is associated with poor outcomes. Physical activity is therefore a worthy target for intervention in clinical trials, however, trials evaluating physical activity have used heterogeneous methodologies. Research question: What is the available evidence on the efficacy and/or effectivenes...

Purpose To determine the association between quadriceps muscle strength (QMS) and endurance (QME) and exercise capacity in COPD patients after stratification for sex and resting lung function (LF). Methods Data were collected in 3246 COPD patients (60% men, 64±9 years), including measures of exercise capacity (peak aerobic capacity (peakVO 2 )), si...

Background: A subgroup of patients recovering from COVID-19 experience persistent symptoms, decreased quality of life, increased dependency on others for personal care and impaired performance of activities of daily living. However, the long-term effects of COVID-19 on physical activity (PA) in this subgroup of patients with persistent symptoms rem...

Purpose: Not all patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience similar benefits following pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). This pre-post PR study used a large sample of patients with COPD to determine whether PR-induced changes of oxygen uptake (VO2) kinetics and exercise responses of VO2, carbon dioxide output (VCO2), minute...

Objective: To determine the response to a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program and minimal important differences (MIDs) for the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) subtests and SPPB summary score in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Design: Retrospective analysis using distribution- and anchor-based methods. Set...

BACKGROUND Fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom in patients with persistent complaints following COVID-19 (ie, long COVID). Longitudinal studies examining the intensity of fatigue and differentiating between physical and mental fatigue are lacking. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the severity of fatigue over time...

Background It remains unknown whether and to what extent members of online long COVID-19 peer support groups remain symptomatic and limited over time. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate symptoms in members of online long COVID-19 peer support groups up to 6 months after the onset of COVID-19-related symptoms. Methods Demographics, symptoms, health st...

To become a proactive and informed partner in postacute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) management, patients need to have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to self-manage COVID-19-related health challenges. Due to several restrictions and consequently social isolation, online platforms and forums where people can share information and exper...

Background An increasing number of subjects are recovering from COVID-19, raising the need for tools to adequately assess the course of the disease and its impact on functional status. We aimed to assess the construct validity of the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) Scale among adult subjects with confirmed and presumed COVID-19. Methods Adu...

The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on quality of life appears to be highly underestimated, especially in patients who have not been admitted to the hospital. Therefore, our aim was to assess respiratory-specific quality of life in addition to generic quality of life in former patients with confirmed/suspected COVID-19 who have never...

Background Many patients with COVID-19 did not require hospitalisation, nor underwent COVID-19 testing. There is anecdotal evidence that patients with “mild” COVID-19 may complain about persistent symptoms, even weeks after the infection. This suggests that symptoms during the infection may not resolve spontaneously. The objective of this study was...

Background: A large sample of "mild" COVID-19 patients still experience multiple symptoms months after being infected. These persistent symptoms are associated with many clinically relevant outcomes, including poor health status and impaired functional status. To date, no information is available about care dependency. Therefore, we aimed to explo...

Background and Objectives Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. These physiological processes can lead to increased formation and accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), that can play a role in vascular complications. In this cross-sectional study, we determined t...

Objective To assess the phenotypic characteristics of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) after stratification for Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) summary scores and to determine phenotypic characteristics of the SPPB summary score at the start of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Design Retrospective, cross-sectional...

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent disease characterized by airflow limitation and is associated with decreased balance and increased fall risk. Since falls are related to increased mortality, interventions targeting balance and fall risk could reduce morbidity and mortality. The objective of this review wa...

Cardiovascular diseases are frequently present in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Population-based studies found associations between retinal vessel diameters and cardiovascular health, but it is unknown whether this also applies to COPD patients. Therefore, we measured retinal vessel diameters in COPD patients and aimed to determine...

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients can suffer from low blood oxygen concentrations. Peripheral blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), as assessed by pulse oximetry, is commonly measured during the day using a spot check, or continuously during one or two nights to estimate nocturnal desaturation. Sampling at this frequency ma...

Introduction A high proportion of patients with COPD experience problems during the performance of activities of daily living (ADLs). We aimed to determine the effects of a comprehensive eight-week pulmonary rehabilitation program on the physiologic response to and performance of ADLs in patients with COPD. Methods Before and after pulmonary rehabi...

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients can suffer from low blood oxygen concentrations. Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), as assessed by pulse oximetry, is commonly measured during the day using a spot check, or continuously during one or two nights to estimate nocturnal desaturation. Sampling at this frequency may over...

Nocturnal oxygen desaturation is common in patients with COPD. Based on single-night oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurements, patients are considered a desaturator (cumulative time spent with SpO2 below 90% (CT90) ≥ 30%) or non-desaturator (CT90 < 30%). To date, it remains unknown whether nocturnal SpO2 profiles are comparable between multiple consec...

Background: Patients with COPD are frequently diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Peripheral endothelial dysfunction is an underlying mechanism and can be used as an early marker of cardiovascular impairment. To date, little is known on the association between peripheral endothelial dysfunction, cardiovascular risk factors and measurements of e...

Introduction: Telemonitoring applications are expected to become a key component in future healthcare. Despite the frequent use of SpO2 measurements in telemonitoring of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), no profound overview is available about these measurements. Areas covered: A systematic search identified 71 articles th...