Chest
Original ResearchDyspneaPulmonary Rehabilitation in Interstitial Lung Disease: Benefits and Predictors of Response
Section snippets
Study Subjects
Records of patients with a diagnosis of ILD who had been referred for PR at one of three centers (Seton Medical Center, Daly City, CA; Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA; or John Muir Health, Concord, CA) between January 2003 and March 2008 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Inclusion criteria were a referring diagnosis of ILD and documentation of pre- and post-PR variables (see following). Institutional review board approval for this project was obtained at all sites.
Variables Recorded
Variables
Study Population
One hundred thirteen patients were identified. Nine patients had incomplete data due to not finishing the PR program, and five patients had missing or inconsistent data points. The most common reason for not completing the PR program was undergoing lung transplantation (44%). Other reasons included cardiac complications (11%), back pain (11%), patient relocation (11%), noncompliance (11%), and unspecified health issues (11%). Complete data were available for 99 patients. These patients
Discussion
This study represents the largest study of PR in ILD published to date and is novel in its analysis of potential clinical predictors of response. These data strongly suggest that PR is beneficial for patients with ILD and that it should become the standard of care in this population, particularly for those with poor baseline functional status. Our results show a clinically significant improvement in both functional status (as measured by 6MWT distance) and dyspnea (as measured by Borg score
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Cited by (174)
French practical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis – 2021 update. Full-length version
2023, Respiratory Medicine and ResearchIdiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis
2023, Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North AmericaEffect of a home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program on functional capacity and health-related quality of life in people with interstitial lung disease – A randomized controlled trial protocol
2022, Respiratory MedicineCitation Excerpt :Chronic immobility and postural stiffness resulting in reduced mobility of the thorax, may be related to the underlying lung fibrosis (stiff lungs). Treatment options often include medical management consisting of corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, anti-fibrotic therapy, azathioprine, bosentan, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, mycophenolate, acetylcysteine, etc. and people with ILD may eventually require lung transplantation in the later stages [12,13]. Evidence suggests that pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs, which include exercise training, improve functional ability and symptoms in people with ILD [12].
French practical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of IPF – 2021 update, full version
2022, Revue des Maladies Respiratoires
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.