What still prevents to acknowledge a major role for pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD treatment?

What still prevents to acknowledge a major role for pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD treatment?

Authors

  • Cristoforo Incorvaia Cardiac/Pulmonary Rehabilitation, ASST Pini/CTO, Milan, Italy.
  • Lorenzo Panella Department of Rehabilitation and Functional Recovery, ASST Pini/CTO, Milan, Italy
  • Antonello Caserta Department of Rehabilitation and Functional Recovery, ASST Pini/CTO, Milan, Italy
  • Irene Pellicelli Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
  • Erminia Ridolo

Keywords:

COPD, dyspnea, drug treatment, effectiveness, quality of life, exercise tolerance, pulmonary rehabilitation

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health issue, particularly in aging people. Despite an increasing availability of drugs to treat COPD, recent data indicate that an actual control of the disease is achieved in a minority of  patients. This makes apparent that additional treatments of COPD should be taken into account, such as pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), which was introduced in the 1960s and has large evidence of clinical effectiveness. PR is a non-pharmacologic therapy based on a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, patient-centered intervention comprising exercise training, self-management education and psychosocial support. PR treated patients develop an increased exercise tolerance and quality of life, reduced dyspnea and anxiety, and are concerned by less hospital admissions for disease exacerbations. Notwithstanding, the use of PR in COPD patients is negligible, being globally estimated in 2-5%. Here we update the evidence in favor of PR and the actual need to consider it as a treatment to be considered for COPD patients with significant impairment in daily living activities.

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Published

06-09-2019

Issue

Section

UPDATE

How to Cite

1.
What still prevents to acknowledge a major role for pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD treatment?. Acta Biomed [Internet]. 2019 Sep. 6 [cited 2024 Mar. 29];90(3):218-24. Available from: https://mattioli1885journals.com/index.php/actabiomedica/article/view/8369