Felipe Machado

Hasselt University · Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Introduction Currently, there is little evidence on the prevalence and factors associated with sarcopenia risk or frailty risk in patients post heart transplantation (HTx). The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of sociodemographic, lifestyle, physical, and psychological factors on sarcopenia and frailty risk in patients post‐HTx....

Background Patients with heart failure (HF) are physically inactive and often exhibit excessive sedentary behavior. Understanding the magnitude of inactivity and time in sedentarism and its determinants could be useful in establish rehabilitation interventions to those patients. Purpose i) To evaluate how much patients with HF are more inactive an...

Background Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is the gold-standard for determining ventilatory thresholds (VTs) and prescribing exercise intensity for patients with cardiometabolic diseases (CMD). Multivariable equations to predict heart rate (HR) at the first and second VTs (VT1, VT2) offer a new alternative for indirect prescription when CPE...

Background/Introduction Physical activity in daily life (PADL) is a crucial factor influencing mortality and quality of life in individuals with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). While previous research demonstrates notable differences in exercise habits and PADL levels between men and women in the general population, little is known about the patter...

Background The respiratory system is not the limiting step to humans’ tolerance to dynamic exercise in most physiological circumstances. For instance, minute ventilation at peak exercise (VEpeak) is appreciably lower than the maximal sustained ventilatory capacity (MSVC). Using the estimated (from forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)) maxi...

Background Alterations in body weight and composition are common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and are independent predictors for morbidity and mortality. Low vitamin D status is also more prevalent in patients with COPD compared to controls and has been related to lower lung function, muscle atrophy and impaired mus...

Aims To develop and validate equations predicting heart rate (HR) at the first and second ventilatory thresholds (VTs) and an optimized range-adjusted prescription for patients with cardiometabolic disease (CMD). To compare their performance against guideline-based exercise intensity domains. Methods Cross-sectional study involving 2,868 CMD patie...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease that is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. The burden of respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation can translate to reduced physical activity, in turn contributing to poor exercise capacity, muscle dysfunction, and body composition a...

Introduction: one of the most prominent extra-pulmonary manifestations in patients with chronic respiratory disease are changes in body weight and composition. However, the frequency and functional consequences of low appendicular lean mass (ALM) or sarcopenic obesity (SO) in patients with asthma is largely unknown. Therefore, the aims of the curr...

Aims: After heart transplantation (HTx), increments in physical activity are strongly recommended. However, participation rates in exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation and engagement in physical activity (PA) are insufficient in many patients. Hence, this study aimed to explore the central factors and the interconnections among distinct types of...

Background Alterations in body composition, including a low fat-free mass index (FFMI), are common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and occur regardless of body weight. Research question Is the impact of low FFMI on exercise capacity, health-related quality of life (HRQL) and systemic inflammation different among COPD...

Background Fat mass to fat-free mass ratio (FM/FFM) assesses the combined effect of the balance between fat mass and fat-free mass. Aims: to evaluate the associations beetween FM/FFM and clinical outcomes in asthma and to compare clinical characteristics between individuals with higher and lower FM/FFM. Methods 128 participants with asthma underwe...

Introduction Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) can be used to estimate Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI). However, the use of directly measured BIA variables, such as phase angle (PhA), has gained attention. The frequency of low FFMI and PhA and its associations with exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with idiopat...

Objective: To describe and compare energy expenditure (EE)/minute walking and in different body postures in individuals with COPD; and to investigate if EE/minute walking is a predictor of their classification as physically active or inactive. Methods: Physical activity (PA) in daily life was objectively assessed using two PA monitors for 7 days an...

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...

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 and objective Low fat-free mass (FFM) is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and contributes to morbidity and mortality. Few studies have evaluated longitudinal changes in body composition in patients with COPD compared with non-COPD controls. This study aimed to compare longitudinal changes in total and...

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...

Muscle dysfunction is one of the main features in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Handgrip strength (HS) has been used as a representation of general muscle strength in various populations, and a few studies found correlation between HS and other measures of upper and lower limbs' muscle strength in the general popula...

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...

Background Cut offs for fat-free mass index (FFMI) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) are available for diagnosing low muscle mass in patients with COPD. This study aimed to investigate: (1) the frequency of low muscle mass (FFMI and ASMI) applying different cut-offs and (2) the functional translation (clinical impact) of low muscle...

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: Previous studies have reported that maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) may be better associated with commonly used outcomes in COPD than FEV1 and may provide information on respiratory mechanics. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between MVV and clinical outcomes in COPD and to verify whether MVV predicts these o...

Objective To determine the discriminative capacity and cut-off point of different 4-metre gait speed test (4MGS) protocols in identifying preserved or reduced exercise capacity using the six-minute walk test (6MWT) in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); also, to compare 4MGS protocols and characteristics of individuals accor...

Background The phenotype profiling of individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) according to impairments in body composition and level of physical activity in daily life (PADL) needs to be determined. Objective To verify if individuals with COPD classified as physically active/inactive present different characteristics within d...

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presenting asthma overlap (ACO) benefit similarly in comparison to patients with only COPD after a 12-week high-intensity exercise training (ET) program. Methods: Subjects with a diagnosis of COPD alone or ACO were evaluated and compared b...

Background/objectives: Abnormal body composition is an independent determinant of COPD outcomes. To date, it is already known that patient stratification into body composition phenotypes are associated with important outcomes, such as exercise capacity and inflammation, but there are no data comparing physical activity and muscle strength among th...

Purpose Whether the difference in the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on the functional status of men and women stems from clinical distinctions or to the measuring instrument used is unclear. Like most instruments for assessing functional limitation in COPD, the interpretation of the results of the London Chest Activity of D...

Abstract Objective: To investigate associations between oxidant/antioxidant biomarkers with the disease severity, pulmonary function and diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients with COPD. Methods: Seventy-four subjects were included, 39 with COPD (age 69 ± 7 years; female 41%) and 35 for control group (age 69 ± 7 years; female 43%). They...

Abstract Objective: To investigate associations between oxidant/antioxidant biomarkers with thedisease severity, pulmonary function and diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patientswith COPD.Methods: Seventy-four subjects were included, 39 with COPD (age 69 ± 7 years; female 41%)and 35 for control group (age 69 ± 7 years; female 43%). They wer...

AIM: This study aimed to compare different criteria to detect sarcopenia with lower mobility (SALM) and its associations with disease severity and muscle weakness in subjects with COPD. METHODS: 270 subjects with COPD were classified as SALM, which was defined as lower muscle mass (fat-free mass index, FFMI) plus lower physical performance (six-min...

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between slow and forced vital capacity (SVC–FVC) difference with dynamic lung hyperinflation (DH) during the 6-min walking test (6MWT) in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Twenty-four subjects with COPD (12 males; 67 ± 6 years; forced expiratory volume in first secon...

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent and progressive airflow obstruction that is associated with an abnormal chronic inflammatory response in the airways and lungs to noxious particles. COPD often leads to physical inactivity and deconditioning that added to inappropriate/excessive inflammatory respo...

Background: Different protocols for the sit-to-stand test (STS) are available for assessing functional capacity in COPD. We sought to correlate each protocol of the STS (ie, the 5-repetition [5-rep STS], the 30-s STS, and the 1-min STS) with clinical outcomes in subjects with COPD. We also aimed to compare the 3 protocols of the STS, to verify the...

Purpose: 4-meter gait speed (4MGS) is increasingly used to assess functional performance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, the current literature lacks information regarding some technical standards for this test. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare and to evaluate the interrater reliability between a...

Background: Interpretation of the six-minute walk distance (6MWD) is enhanced by using recommended reference equations. Whenever possible, the choice of equation should be region-specific. A potential problem is that different equations for the 6MWD may have been developed for the same population, and it may be complicated to choose the most suita...

Introduction: People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) present symptoms such as dyspnea and fatigue, which hinder their performance in activities of daily living (ADL). A few multitask protocols have been developed to assess ADL performance in this population, although measurement properties of such protocols were not yet systematic...

Background: Different reference equations are used to predict values for walked distance in the 6-min walk test (6MWT), which allows a deeper interpretation of its results. However there are no studies that analysed the agreement and responsiveness of commonly used reference equations in Brazilian patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease...