Cardiovascular Effects of Pulmonary Rehabilitation in COPD

The PR program will consist of supervised physical exercise sessions, which will be held 3 times a week for 8 weeks, and weekly educational sessions. Exercise sessions include aerobic exercise (30 min to 45 min) and lower limb and upper limb strength training, as well as warm-up and muscle stretching exercises after exercise. The exercise load will be individualized and determined from the patients' baseline tests, being increased progressively throughout the sessions. A baseline evaluation will be performed, which will be repeated after 9 weeks, including: clinical and laboratory parameters, endothelial function (FMD) and brachial ankle index (ABI) and exercise tests. Outcomes usually used in the assistance to evaluate PR will also be measured.