Evaluation of a Home-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program for Older Females Suffering from Bronchial Asthma

Background. Asthma is a disease that affects people of all ages world wide. Objectives. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program, with one supervised session a week, for improvement of respiratory function, inspiratory muscle strength and physical fitness in older women suffering from asthma. Material and Methods. The study involved 10 female patients (mean age 70.8) with diagnosed bronchial asthma in the slight and moderate stage. Before the program started, all the patients were in a stable phase of the disease. All the patients carried out a respiratory function test based on measurement of the flow/volume loop assessing FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEF, MEF50 and MEF25/75. An inspiratory muscle strength test (PImax) was also performed. Agility was assessed by the Fullerton Functional Fitness test, which consists of sitting down on/standing up from a chair, bicep curls with weights, upper and lower body flexibility trials, a complex coordination trial and a six minute walk test (6MWT) to assess the patients' exercise capacity. To evaluate health-related quality of life, the Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was completed, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to diagnose any signs of anxiety or depression. The main part of the program consisted of eight two-minute whole body exercises separated by one-minute intervals. Statistical significance was determined by the Wilcoxon test. Results. Almost all the respiratory function parameters, PImax, exercise tolerance, lower body flexibility trial and 6MWT improved significantly after following the program for eight weeks. Among the parameters measured by the questionnaires and scales, only the component of the SGRQ related to symptoms of the disease has significantly improved. Conclusions. The home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program significantly improved all respiratory function parameters. The patients' PImax scores also significantly improved. Among the physical fitness parameters, the 6MWT and lower body flexibility trials significantly improved. The home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program can be used effectively in patients suffering from bronchial asthma.