For a study, researchers sought to assess the impact of a home-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program on hyperventilation symptoms, anxiety, depressive symptoms, general fatigue, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and exercise capacity in adults with severe asthma who have experienced psychosocial chronic stressors.
They retrospectively analyzed data from 111 consecutive adults with severe asthma who participated in an 8-week home-based PR program, which included weekly supervised 90-minute sessions. Chronic stressors, such as physical, sexual, and psychological violence and traumatic experiences related to intensive care unit stays, were considered in the study. Hyperventilation symptoms (measured using the Nijmegen questionnaire), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores, Fatigue Assessment Scale scores, COPD Assessment Test scores, Six-Minute Stepper Test results, and Timed-Up and Go test results were assessed at baseline and after completion of the PR program.
At baseline, participants who had experienced chronic stressors (n = 48, 43.2%) were younger, more frequently female, more commonly treated for anxiety and depressive disorders, and had higher scores for anxiety symptoms, hyperventilation symptoms, and lower HRQoL compared to those without chronic stress exposure (P < 0.05). However, after completing the PR program, both groups showed statistically significant improvements in all study assessments (P < 0.001). Moreover, anxiety and depressive symptoms, fatigue, and health-related quality of life questionnaires showed clinically significant improvements based on the minimal clinically important difference.
Many adults with severe asthma, especially women, had experienced chronic stressors before starting the PR program, resulting in higher anxiety and hyperventilation symptoms. Nevertheless, chronic stressors did not hinder the benefits of the PR program for these individuals.
Source: resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(23)00237-8/fulltext