People with cystic fibrosis (CF) wanted to know if they could replace chest physiotherapy with exercise. Fifty people with CF aged 10-58 years took part in the ExACT-CF study. Half continued their usual chest physiotherapy and exercised as they wanted. The other half stopped chest physiotherapy and completed the ExACT intervention exercise instead.
The EXaCT intervention consisted of at least 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise combined with huffs and coughs.
The study team looked at how easy it was to run the study, whether people would take part, and whether ExACT was safe over 28 days. They also tested different ways of measuring lung health. One key measure was the Lung clearance index (LCI₂.₅). In simple terms, this test shows how well the small airways in the lungs are working. It’s a bit like checking how quickly “used air” can be washed out of the lungs - the faster and smoother the air clears, the healthier the lungs are. This measure is often more sensitive than standard lung function tests, so it can pick up early changes that might be missed otherwise.
