Effects of 12 weeks of Head-Down Strong Abdominal Breathing Training on Gait and Cognitive Function in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Abstract

Background: As chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) progresses, it can limit physical activity, resulting in reduced mobility. And patients with COPD have a higher incidence of cognitive impairment compared to normal individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of breathing training in COPD patients' gait and cognitive function by changing the body position.

Study design and methods: Eighty-three COPD patients were recruited and randomized (1:1:1) into a head-down strong abdominal breathing training group (HDBT), a head-down training group (HDT), and a strong abdominal breathing training group (BT). Cognitive function and gait performance were assessed after the intervention by comparing patients' stride frequency, stride length, step speed and Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA) scores.

Results: 63 patients completed this study. After 12 weeks, in terms of Obstacle walking tasks gait, the HDBT group significantly improved the performance of COPD patients in obstacle walking tasks in terms of stride length (73.29±0.64, P<0.001), step speed (97.73±0.47, P=0.018) performance. At the same time, we also found that there was no statistical difference in the gait performance of each group in the walking task (P > 0.05). In terms of cognition, cognitive function scores(MoCA) were significantly higher in HDBT (P<0.001) HDT (P<0.001), and BT (P<0.001) compared to baseline.

Conclusion: A 12-week HDBT program elevated cognitive function and improved stride length and speed metrics during an obstacle walking task in patients with stable COPD.

Clinical trial registration number: chictr2400080452(30/01/2024).