Introduction The benefits of increased exercise capacity and health related quality of life after PR are well documented in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Interest is growing in whether other respiratory diseases benefit from PR interventions. Limited research is available to demonstrate benefit to patients with ILD (Holland et al., 2008). No published studies examine the relative performance of ILD patients in a PR programme compared with a mixed disease cohort.

Objective To establish whether ILD patients benefit from participation in an established PR programme.

Methods Pre- and post-PR data for patients with ILD who took part in a 6-week PR programme compliant with BTS guidelines (Bolton et al., 2013), were examined alongside similar data for all patients who had participated in the PR programmes over an 18 month period.

Results Data was available for 21 patients with ILD, and 344 patients with other respiratory diseases. Median MRC grade of both groups of patients was 4. Mean baseline lung function of ILD patients was FEV₁ 2.06 (84.6% predicted), FVC 2.59 (82.81% predicted), FEV₁ /FVC 78.37, TL_CO 46% predicted. Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT) and St Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) data for ILD patients, and the whole cohort is shown in the attached table.

Discussion Examination of data available demonstrates that patients with ILD achieve the minimum important difference of the ISWT (>47.5 m) and were close to achieving the minimum important difference of the SGRQ (>4). ILD patients have a greater benefit in terms of reduction in symptoms as measured by SGRQ, than the cohort as a whole. Limitations to generalisation of conclusions due to small sample size are acknowledged.

Conclusion ILD patients who completed a 6-week community based, PR programme within a mixed respiratory disease cohort demonstrate a clinically significant improvement in exercise capacity and make gains in health related quality of life.

References

1. Bolton C, Bevan-Smith E, Blakey J, et al. British Thoracic Society guideline on pulmonary rehabilitation in adults. Thorax. 2013;68:ii1–ii130

2. Holland A, Hill C, Conron M, Munro P, McDonald C. Short term improvement in exercise capacity and symptoms following exercise training in interstitial lung disease. Thorax, 2008;63:549–554