• Figen Dağ, Özlem Bölgen Çimen, and Okan Doğu.
• Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mersin University, 33150, Mersin, Turkey. dagfigen@gmail.com.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2022 Jun 1; 191 (3): 1341-1348.

BackgroundAerobic exercise training contributes to improvement of cardiopulmonary capacity, mobility, neurological function, and quality of life.AimsTo investigate the effects of arm crank ergometer training on aerobic capacity, quality of life, and Parkinson's disease (PD)-related disability METHODS: Seventeen patients with PD were recruited to study. Assessments were performed at baseline and at the end of an 8-week arm crank ergometer (ACE) training program (3 days/week; 1 h per session, 50-70% VO2peak) with patients acting as their own control. Outcome measures included aerobic capacity assessment, 6-min walk test (6MWT), timed up and go test (TUG), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Beck Depression Index (BDI), the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).ResultsAt the end of the study, an increase of 30.49% in aerobic capacity was observed. Statistically significant improvements were found for the 6MWT (p = 0.001), TUG test (p = 0.001), UPDRS total score (p = 0.002), quality of life assessed with PDQ-39 (p = 0.006), BDI (p = 0.001), and FES scores (p = 0.002) after an 8-week ACE training. No significant effect on MoCA was found (p = 0.264).ConclusionAn 8-week ACE training led to significant improvement in aerobic capacity, physical performance, and PD-related disabilities.© 2021. Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.

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