PURPOSE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease promotes systemic repercussions, which can be minimized with physical exercise. This study investigated the effects of a water-based aerobic interval training program on the autonomic modulation of heart rate (HR), quality of life (QoL), and functional capacity (FC) of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: Nineteen patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were enrolled in this randomized clinical trial and allocated to either the usual care group (n = 9) or training group (n = 10). Before and after 24 sessions of water-based physical training, the patients underwent evaluation of autonomic modulation of HR by analyzing the HR variability, QoL using the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire, and FC using 6-min walk test distance. RESULTS: The results showed significant improvement when comparing the variables of HR variability, QoL, and FC in the training group in the pre- and post-training conditions (p < 0.05). In the usual care group, there was no significant difference for any of the variables. Negative correlations were found between HR variability and QoL (r = -0.55; p = 0.01) and 6-min walk test distance and QoL (r = -0.49; p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Water-based physical training promoted beneficial adaptations in the autonomic modulation of HR, QoL, and FC of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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