New research published in the December online issue of Thorax shows that using breathing modification techniques can help patients with asthma.
Researchers in the UK undertook a single-blind, randomized study that compared breathing training with simple asthma education. Approximately 130 people completed the study. Participants were selected based on mild to moderate asthma from a number of primary care settings in an attempt to ensure that the results would not be limited to a particular group but would be more generalizable to the population of asthmatics. Patients who were smokers or with more severe asthma (as indicated by significant quality of life issues) were excluded.
The study methodology was straightforward. Subjects either got 3 sessions with a physiotherapist to learn and practice breathing training, or they had 3 sessions with a nurse who provided asthma education.
An extensive baseline for each subject was determined before inventions began, using questionnaires and clinical testing in these areas:
- Asthma Quality of Life questionnaire
- Asthma Control questionnaire
- Nijmegen hyperventilation questionnaire
- Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) questionnaire
- Spirometric values and bronchodilator reversibility
- Resting minute volume (MV)
- Resting end tidal carbon dioxide concentration
- Bronchial hyper-responsiveness
- Induced sputum differential cell count analysis
- Asthma Quality of Life questionnaire
Test subjects were evaluated with the full set of indicators at 1 month post-intervention. At 6 months post-intervention, questionnaires were mailed to patients. The 6 mont follow up was done to help to avoid confounding factors in the study, such as spontaneous short-term improvement in asthma unrelated to the study.
There was little difference between the two groups after 1 month. In fact, patients receiving education showed as much improvement as those receiving breathing training. However, after 6 months patients who received breathing training had much better scores on Hospital Anxiety and Depression ratings as well as hyperventilation ratings. These test subjects also reported a better quality of life.
Source: Thorax Online
