Thierry Troosters

KU Leuven | ku leuven · Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

The Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) report states that the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) should be considered in individuals with chronic respiratory symptoms and / or exposure to risk factors. Forced spirometry demonstrating airflow obstruction after bronchodilation is required to confirm t...

Background Consumer-based wearables are becoming more popular and provide opportunities to track individual’s clinical parameters remotely. However, literature about their criterion and known-groups validity is scarce. Objective This study aimed to assess the validity of the Fitbit Charge 4, a wrist-worn consumer-based wearable, to measure clinica...

Introduction: The association between physical activity (PA) and functional capacity and their change following pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is under investigation. Aim: To investigate the relation between the one-minute sit-to-stand test (1’STST), a simple measure of functional capacit...

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with a reduced exercise capacity. Although several field tests for exercise capacity have been modified for non-standard settings, i.e. outside the hospital clinic or pulmonary rehabilitation center, their uptake remains limited. Objectives: To assess the test-retest reliability...

Purpose Walking is crucial for active and healthy ageing, but it changes with age and in the presence of diverse health conditions, such as non-communicable diseases. In the field of the chronic lung disease COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), extensive research has been done on physical activity limitation, but little is known about the...

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a comprehensive and invaluable assessment used to identify the mechanisms that limit exercise capacity. However, its interpretation remains poorly standardised. This scoping review aims to investigate which limitations to exercise are differentiated by the use of incremental CPET in literature and which cr...

Purpose This study investigated the accuracy of activity trackers in chronic lower limb lymphoedema (LLL) patients and in comparison to matched controls. Materials and methods Seventeen LLL patients and 35 healthy subjects wore an activity tracker at the hip (Fitbit Zip/Inspire; hip-AT) and one at the wrist (Fitbit Alta/Inspire; wrist-AT) combined...

Exercise limitation and physical inactivity are known treatable traits for people with COPD. Maximising exercise capacity and keeping people physically active improves health status and survival rates among people with COPD. However, managing these two treatable traits can be extremely challenging for clinicians due to the complex intersectionality...

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 Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a well-established intervention for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but access, uptake and completion are low. This retrospective propensity-matched study aimed to analyse equivalence from a Hybrid PR modality against Conventional PR. Methods Between 2013–2019, 2...

Background: Despite the importance of gait as a determinant of falls, disability and mortality in older people, understanding of gait impairment in COPD is limited. This study aimed to identify differences in gait characteristics during supervised walking tests between people with COPD and healthy controls. Methods: We searched 11 electronic datab...

Objectives Physical activity is reduced in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and physical inactivity is related to poor health outcomes. We investigated the effect of a telecoaching intervention to improve physical activity in patients with ILD. Methods Eighty patients with ILD were randomized into the intervention or control group. Pa...

Introduction: Lung transplant recipients are often physically inactive and are at risk of developing comorbidities. We investigated whether objectively measured physical activity was associated with the prevalence of comorbidities. Methods: Physical activity (accelerometry) and the presence of cardiovascular disease, symptoms of depression and a...

Introduction The clinical validity of real-world walking cadence in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unsettled. Objective: to assess the levels, variability and association with clinically relevant COPD characteristics and outcomes of real-world walking cadence. Methods We assessed walking cadence (steps per minute durin...

Background Reduced mobility is a central feature of COPD. Assessment of mobility outcomes that can be measured digitally (digital mobility outcomes (DMOs)) in daily life such as gait speed and steps per day is increasingly possible using devices such as pedometers and accelerometers, but the predictive value of these measures remains unclear in rel...

Background Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs improve physical fitness, symptoms and quality of life (QoL) of patients with COPD. However, improved physical activity (PA) is not guaranteed after PR and the clinical benefits fade off after PR discharge. We aimed to investigate whether a 9 months PA-telecoaching program is able to improve PA of p...

Background While patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) often cite weather conditions as a reason for inactivity, little is known about the relation between physical activity (PA) and weather conditions. The present study investigated the association of day-to-day weather changes on PA in patients with COPD and investigated pati...

Purpose Fall risk is increased in adults with COPD. Although gait is an important risk factor for falls, hospitalisations, and mortality, the available literature shows inconsistencies on whether gait differs between adults with COPD and healthy controls. The aim of this study was to identify differences in digitally-measured gait characteristics d...

Purpose Walking is crucial for an active and healthy ageing, but it changes with age and in the presence of diverse health conditions, such as non-communicable diseases and injuries. So far, conceptual frameworks of walking have not included the impact of these conditions and individuals’ lived experiences on their walking. Thus, we aimed to identi...

Rationale The effect of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions on physical activity (PA) outcomes is not fully elucidated in patients with COPD. Objectives To provide estimation of treatment effects of all available interventions on PA outcomes in patients with COPD and to provide recommendations regarding the future role of PA outc...

Background Gait characteristics are important risk factors for falls, hospitalisations, and mortality in older adults, but the impact of COPD on gait performance remains unclear. We aimed to identify differences in gait characteristics between adults with COPD and healthy age-matched controls during (1) laboratory tests that included complex moveme...

Background Lingering symptoms after acute COVID-19 present a major challenge to ambulatory care services. Since there are reservations regarding their optimal management, we aimed to collate all available evidence on the effects of rehabilitation treatments applicable in ambulatory care for these patients. Methods On 9 May 2022, we systematically...

Pulmonary rehabilitation has established a status of evidence-based therapy for patients with symptomatic COPD in the stable phase and after acute exacerbations. Rehabilitation should have the possibility of including different disciplines and be offered in several formats and lines of healthcare. This review focusses on the cornerstone interventio...

Maintaining physical activity is an important clinical goal for people with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). We investigated the validity of two commercial activity trackers (ATs) to measure daily step counts. We compared a wrist- and a hip-worn commercial AT against the research-grade Dynaport Movemonitor (DAM) during 14 days of daily use. Criterion va...

Background With over 500,000 annually reported cases worldwide, head and neck cancer (HNC) is the seventh most common type of cancer worldwide. Treatment of HNC with chemoradiotherapy frequently results in serious impairments in physical and psychosocial functioning. Besides, HNC patients typically start their cancer treatment already with poor phy...

Background Parameters from maximal expiratory flow-volume curves (MEFVC) have been linked to CT-based parameters of COPD. However, the association between MEFVC shape and phenotypes like emphysema, small airways disease (SAD) and bronchial wall thickening (BWT) has not been investigated. Research question We analyzed if the shape of MEFVC can be l...

Background: walking is crucial for an active and healthy ageing, but the perspectives of individuals living with walking impairment are still poorly understood. Objectives: to identify and synthesise evidence describing walking as experienced by adults living with mobility-impairing health conditions and to propose an empirical conceptual framew...

Introduction The effect of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions on physical activity (PA) outcomes across chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) is not fully elucidated. Objectives i) To evaluate the effects of all available interventions on PA outcomes in CRDs; ii) to explore which PA outcomes have been used as endpoints in clinical...

After multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that the impact of SARS-CoV-2 will carry on for years to come. Acutely infected patients show a broad range of disease severity, depending on virus variant, vaccination status, age and the presence of underlying medical and physical conditions, including obesity. Additionally, a lar...

Introduction Physical activity (PA) is reduced in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Evidence about the PA pattern of patients with ILD is scarce. If PA of patients with ILD would be comparable to COPD, it is tempting to speculate that existing interventions focusing on enhancing PA could...

Background With over 500 000 annually reported cases worldwide, head and neck cancer (HNC) is the seventh most common type of cancer worldwide. Treatment of HNC with chemoradiotherapy frequently results in serious impairments in physical and psychosocial functioning. Besides, HNC patients typically start their cancer treatment already with poor phy...

Background The development of optimal strategies to treat impaired mobility related to ageing and chronic disease requires better ways to detect and measure it. Digital health technology, including body worn sensors, has the potential to directly and accurately capture real-world mobility. Mobilise-D consists of 34 partners from 13 countries who ar...

Background The development of optimal strategies to treat impaired mobility related to ageing and chronic disease requires better ways to detect and measure it. Digital health technology, including body worn sensors, has the potential to directly and accurately capture real-world mobility. Mobilise-D consists of 34 partners from 13 countries who ar...

The loss of mobility is a common trait in multiple health conditions (e.g., Parkinson's disease) and is associated with reduced quality of life. In this context, being able to monitor mobility in the real world, is important. Until recently, the technology was not mature enough for this; but today, miniaturized sensors and novel algorithms promise...

Background The development of optimal strategies to treat impaired mobility related to ageing and chronic disease requires better ways to detect and measure it. Digital health technology, including body worn sensors, has the potential to directly and accurately capture real-world mobility. Mobilise-D consists of 34 partners from 13 countries who ar...

Introduction Endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) aims to improve pulmonary function in severe emphysema. Physical activity (PA) coaching is expected to improve daily life PA. When improving ventilatory constrains in severe COPD, a better response to PA coaching is expected. The present study investigated the impact of PA coaching in addition to...

De casus betreft een patiënt (VA) met chronisch obstructief longlijden (COPD) met comorbiditeit. De patiënt heeft naast een obstructieve longfunctie ook een gedaalde inspanningscapaciteit, lage fysieke activiteit, respiratoire problemen en een afgenomen perifere spierkracht. Hij lijdt aan obesitas en ervaart in het dagelijkse leven kortademigheid b...

Rationale: It is difficult to predict the effects of long-acting bronchodilators (LABD) on lung function, exercise capacity and physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore, the multidimensional response to LABD was profiled in COPD patients participating in the ACTIVATE study and randomized to LABD....

Background Exacerbations affect the disease trajectory of patients with COPD and result in an acute drop of functional status and physical activity. Timely detection of exacerbations by non-medical healthcare professionals is needed to counteract this decline. The use of digital health applications in patient interaction allows embedded detection o...

PURPOSE We hypothesize that pre-diagnosis physical activity (PA) levels of breast cancer patients are below those of a reference population without breast cancer. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare pre-diagnosis PA levels (including total-, occupational-, sport- and household activity l