The Effects of Breathing Retraining in Patients With Interstitial Lung Diseases

The Effects of Breathing Retraining on Dyspnoea Measures and the Six-Minute Walking Distance in Patients With Interstitial Lung Diseases

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03729583

Enrollment

Registered

2018-11-02

Start date

2017-07-01

Completion date

2018-05-18

Last updated

2018-11-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Interstitial Lung Disease

Brief summary

Breathing retraining has been reported to lead to improvements in dyspnoea and walking distance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Evidence regarding the effects of such an intervention in ILD patients is though lacking. In view of this, the aims of such a study were to identify whether breathing retraining led to better management of dyspnoea and improved walking distance in ILD patients.

Detailed description

One of the commonest symptoms experienced in patients with a diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) is shortness of breath, a symptom which greatly affects their abilities to carry out activities of daily living. Breathing retraining has been reported to lead to improvements in dyspnoea and walking distance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Evidence regarding the effects of such an intervention in ILD patients is though lacking. In view of this, the aims of such a study were to identify whether breathing retraining led to better management of dyspnoea and improved walking distance in ILD patients. Twenty Seven ILD patients were randomly distributed to either the control group (n=15) which received a 12-week Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) programme without breathing retraining or the active group (n=12) which received a 12-week PR programme with breathing retraining. All patients had both the 6-minute walk test and their level of breathlessness assessed using the Dyspnoea Borg scale assessed at baseline and at 4 weekly intervals for a 12-week period throughout the programme.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALPulmonary Rehabilitation

A 12 week high intensity PR programme was delivered to both groups. The active group had additional breathing control interventions and exercises

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of ILD and who were referred for PR

Exclusion criteria

* Patients who had musculoskeletal or neurological conditions affecting the outcome measures * Patients who required oxygen therapy and did not accept administration * Patients with unstable cardiovascular conditions * Patients who were not willing to participate

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
6 minute walk test	Change in walking distance from baseline to 12weeks	A walk test to examine exercise endurance

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Dyspnoea score	Change in dyspnoea measures from baseline to 12weeks	Borg scale

Countries

Malta

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026