Asthma
Conditions
Keywords
Asthma, Randomised controlled trial, Breathing exercises, Relaxation exercises, Primary care
Brief summary
All patients on the GP asthma database in one practice were invited for an asthma physical-therapy assessment, at baseline. Volunteers satisfying the inclusion criteria ie - aged between 16 and 70, able to understand, read and write English, give informed consent, willing to attend the surgery to take part in the trial and with no other serious conditions - were invited to participate in the study. Patients were randomised either to a control group, receiving 2 more assessments at 6 and 12 months, or for comparison to a group receiving 5 physical-therapy treatments of integrated breathing and relaxation exercises (known as the Papworth Method (PM)). The two groups would then be compared at 6 and 12 months. Hypotheses: 1. The PM of breathing and relaxation training would improve the quality of life for adult patients with asthma in primary care, compared with patients only receiving usual medical care. 2. Anxiety and depression, and symptoms from dysfunctional breathing would reduce compared with the control group. 3. Respiratory function measurements would improve compared with the control group.
Interventions
PROCEDUREBreathing and relaxation exercises: the Papworth Method
Sponsors
Welwyn Hatfield Primary Care Trust
University College, London
University College London Hospitals
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
16 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* doctor diagnosed asthma, volunteers from the practice asthma database * 16-70 years of age * able to understand, speak and write English * willing to give informed consent * willing and able to attend the surgery for assessments and treatments
Exclusion criteria
* serious co-morbid conditions
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Health related Quality of Life as measured by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Anxiety and Depression as measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. | — |
| Symptoms from dysfunctional breathing measured by the Nijmegen Questionnaire. | — |
| Respiratory measurements as measured by spirometry and capnography. | — |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed