Impact of pulmonary rehabilitation on patients with interstitial lung diseases: an Egyptian experience

Background Dyspnea, cough, fatigue, functional limitation, and low quality of life (QOL) are manifestations of almost all interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), with little effective and may be well-tolerated pharmacotherapy in most of its subtypes. The application of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) may have some benefits in patients with ILDs. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of PR program on ILD patients’ QOL, exercise capacity, dyspnea, and spirometry. Settings and design This was a single-center experimental randomized controlled study. Patients and material This study initially enrolled 62 patients previously diagnosed as having ILD at the Chest Department according to American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) diagnostic criteria; however, 12 patients were excluded, and only 50 patients were included and completed the study, and they were classified randomly into the control group (n=25, received conventional treatment only) and the PR group (n=25, received conventional treatment and PR). Pre-PR and post-PR program assessment of QOL by the 36-item short-form health survey (SF36) questionnaire, exercise capacity by the 6-min walk test, dyspnea by the modified Medical Research Council and spirometry were carried out. Statistical analysis used All data were collected, tabulated and statistically analyzed using SPSS 16.0 for Windows. Results This study showed a statistically significant difference for the PR group over the control group at the end of the PR program, wherein all components of the SF36Q score had a P value less than 0.05, dyspnea score by modified Medical Research Council (P=0.02) and exercise tolerance by 6 min walking distance test (P=0.005). Moreover, the maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV%) showed a statistically significant improvement (P=0.003) in contrast to the other measured spirometric parameters measured in this study (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity %, forced expiratory flow25–75) wherein P value was more than 0.05. A negative correlation was found between the baseline physical functioning item of SF36Q and the change (Δ) in 6 min walk distance test. Conclusion PR could be considered as an adjuvant method in the treatment of patients with stable ILDs and could provide improvement in their dyspnea perception, exercise tolerance, and health-related QOL.