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Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Sep 3;34(177):250102.
doi: 10.1183/16000617.0102-2025. Print 2025 Jul.

Effectiveness and safety of home-based versus centre-based exercise programmes for pulmonary hypertension: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Indyanara C Ribeiro  1   2   3 , Sofia M Sieczkowska  1   2   3 , Renata Jashchenko  4 , Daniela Jara  4 , Denielli da Silva Gonçalves Bos  5 , Rogério De Souza  5 , Celso R F Carvalho  6 , Kátia De Angelis  4 , Marcelle Paula-Ribeiro  7   8
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effectiveness and safety of home-based versus centre-based exercise programmes for pulmonary hypertension: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Indyanara C Ribeiro et al. Eur Respir Rev. .

Abstract

Introduction: Pulmonary hypertension is a pathophysiological disorder with poor prognosis. Exercise intolerance and lower physical activity levels are common features of pulmonary hypertension and affect patients' quality of life. Exercise training effectively improves clinical outcomes in this population, but access to rehabilitation centres is often limited. A home-based exercise training component could be an accessible and cost-effective alternative, but the efficacy and safety of this approach in pulmonary hypertension remain unclear.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies retrieved from six international databases. The studies evaluated home-based exercise interventions in patients with pulmonary hypertension, including both stand-alone and hybrid setups, and assessed safety, efficacy (exercise capacity, cardiorespiratory outcomes and functional class) and adherence.

Results: We included 19 studies. Compared with inactive controls, home-based exercise training improved the 6-min walk distance (mean difference (MD) 54.85 m, p<0.01), peak oxygen uptake (standardised MD 0.83 mL·kg-1·min-1, p<0.01), ventilatory efficiency (MD -3.93, p<0.01) and quality of life scores. Improvements in clinical outcomes were comparable between home-based and centre-based interventions. No clinical worsening or exercise training-related severe adverse events were reported; however, most studies did not report health-related self-monitoring strategies at home. The level of adherence was generally high, and the drop-out rates were comparable between home-based and centre-based interventions.

Conclusion: Home-based exercise interventions appear to be viable alternatives to centre-based programmes for patients with pulmonary hypertension, showing comparable improvements in clinical outcomes. However, limited reporting on self-monitoring may affect the overall safety assessment. Further research is needed to determine the optimal implementation of these interventions.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: The authors have nothing to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Study flowchart.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Forest plots of the meta-analyses of home-based/hybrid home-based (HB) interventions versus a control group (CG) and centre-based (CB) interventions for a) 6-min walk distance (6MWD) and b) peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak). MD: mean difference.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Forest plots of the meta-analyses of home-based/hybrid home-based interventions versus a control group for a) ventilatory efficiency (minute ventilation/carbon dioxide output (V̇E/V̇CO2) slope) obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing, b) resting heart rate (HR), c) peak HR and d) O2 pulse. MD: mean difference.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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