ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana - Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2022 January-February;181(1-2):59-65

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-3660.19.04293-1

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

The impact of breathing exercises on Quality of Life and anxiety in asthma patients

Büşra BAŞKAN ¹, Kerem ALPTEKIN ² ✉, Leyla PUR ÖZYIĞIT ³, Jülide ÖNCÜ ALPTEKIN ⁴

¹ Department of Respiratory Physiotherapy, American Hospital, Msc in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Instanbul, Turkey; ² Health Sciences Institute, Bahçeşehir University, Instanbul, Turkey; ³ Department of Allergy and Immunology, Koç University Hospital, Instanbul, Turkey; ⁴ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Şişli Etfal Education and Research Hospital, Instanbul, Turkey

BACKGROUND: The single-center and randomly assigned controlled experimental method was applied to the study. Two groups, a subject and control group, were formed.
METHODS: Twenty patients, 10 in the control and 10 in the experimental group, followed by the American Hospital Adult Allergy and Immunology outpatient clinic were included in the study. Patients who were included in the control group (N.=10) were asked to use the medication prescribed by their physicians regularly for one month and a reminder message was sent 3 days a week. In addition to medication treatments, respiratory exercise training was given to the experimental group (N.=10). The subjects were asked to maintain the exercises for 20-30 minutes in the morning and evening for a month. A reminder message was sent 3 days a week. Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire was employed to determine the Quality of Life of the subjects. The Asthma Control Scale was used for regular monitoring of patients and to determine asthma control levels. Beck Anxiety Scale was used to measure their anxiety levels.
RESULTS: The data obtained as a result of the study indicate that there was a significant difference in Quality of Life scores before and after the study for the experimental group, F(1, 9)=9,2, P=0.014. There was no significant change in the control group, P=0.592. In addition, there was a significant decrease in activity limitation values (P=0.014) and symptoms (P=0.023) in the experimental group before and after the study. In the Asthma Control Assessment, the asthma control level of the experimental group increased significantly after the study (Mean=14.6) compared to the prestudy period (Mean=11.1). There was no significant difference in both groups in terms of evaluation of anxiety.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study show that the Quality of Life of asthma patients receiving breathing exercises increased compared to participants who did not receive breathing exercises. Besides, breathing exercises highlight a decrease in activity limitation and asthma symptoms. However, it is found that breathing exercises have no significant impact on anxiety.

KEY WORDS: Asthma; Breathing Exercises; Quality of Life; Anxiety