Rehabilitation for occupational interstitial lung diseases: evaluating the effectiveness of physical exercise

Introduction. The results of epidemiological studies indicate to a high prevalence of occupational interstitial lung diseases (ILD), necessitating the improvement of respiratory rehabilitation programs. Physical training is a priority area of rehabilitation; however, evaluating its effectiveness requires investigating the trend in clinical and functional parameters in patients.

Objective. To comprehensively assess the rehabilitation efficacy of physical training in patients with occupational ILD.

Materials and methods. The study included thirty five men with pneumoconiosis. A course of aerobic physical training was conducted with workload dosing according to the Karvonen formula. Anthropometry, bioimpedance analysis, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, spirometry, the 6-minute walk test, oxygen saturation, dyspnea according to the Borg scale, and psychological status assessed by the SAN (Well-being, Activity, Mood) questionnaire were evaluated.

Results. A decrease in body mass index was observed alongside an increase in relative skeletal muscle mass, an increase in basal metabolic rate, and positive changes in the lipid profile. Improvement in the patients’ functional capacity was reflected in an increased distance on the 6-minute walk test, reduced dyspnea, and improved psychological status.

Limitations. The study considered only short-term effects of aerobic training, without analyzing long-term outcomes (frequency of exacerbations, hospitalizations, survival).

Conclusion. Aerobic training in patients with pneumoconiosis improves exercise tolerance, reduces dyspnea, and optimizes metabolic status and psycho-emotional wellbeing.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study was conducted in compliance with ethical standards, approved at a meeting of the Local Ethics Committee of the F.F. Erisman Federal Scientific Center for Hygiene (Protocol No. 6 dated July 22, 2023), and conducted in accordance with the generally accepted scientific principles of the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki. Voluntary informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Contributions:
Sheenkova M.V. — study concept and design, literature review, data collection and statistical processing, manuscript writing, discussion of results, statistical analysis, editing;
Yatsyna I.V. — study concept and design, discussion of results, editing;
Savicheva N.M. — collection of literature data, statistical analysis, text writing.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: April 3, 2026 / Revised: April 10, 2026 / Accepted: May 20, 2026 / Published: June 18, 2026

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