Passive Heat Therapy for People With COPD

Summary

People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) often develop high blood pressure and heart disease due to their sedentary lifestyle and difficulty exercising. The investigators will test if heating can mimic the health benefits of exercise by monitoring the increase in leg blood-flow using ultrasound during a 45-minute hot-water footbath. The patients will then undergo 6-weeks of hot-water footbaths to examine whether the changes to blood-flow lead to improvements in blood pressure and other indicators of heart disease risk.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

* Non-smoking individuals
* \>40 years of age
* Stable (exacerbation free for \>6 weeks), moderate-to-severe COPD (post bronchodilator FEV1/FVC \<lower limit of normal and FEV1 z-score \<2.51)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Performing structured exercise training (i.e. pulmonary rehabilitation)
* Have advanced cardiac or cerebrovascular disease (i.e. a history of heart failure, previous stroke or myocardial infarction)
* Have uncontrolled hypertension (\>160/95 mmHg at rest)
* Have hypotension (\<110/60 mmHg)
* Are taking Beta Blockers
* Regularly (\>1/week) have hot baths (\>30 min) or use a hot tub or sauna.

Exclusion Criteria for exercise outcomes:

* Have resting blood pressure \> 150/95 mmHg
* On supplemental oxygen for hypoxemia.
* Musculoskeletal pain that limits their ability to perform stationary cycling.

Conditions2

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