Effectiveness of 3-Year Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Pulmonary Function, Exercise Endurance and ADL Scores of Patients with Chronic Respiratory Disease

Abstract

Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most important components of comprehensive care for chronic respiratory disease, but the long-term effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation has rarely been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with chronic respiratory disease. Twenty patients with chronic respiratory disease (mean age 69.2 yr) underwent concentrated pulmonary rehabilitation, and continued to practice 2 or 3 times per week for 3 years. They were evaluated using pulmonary function tests, a 6-minute walking distance test and activity of daily living score every year. We examined the changes in each parameter yearly, in addition to differences in symptoms and seriousness of the disease. The patients' FEV_1.0% decreased significantly (p < 0.01), but the other parameters of pulmonary function tests were kept unchanged. The 6-minute walking distance test and activity of daily living score were maintained over the three years. These results indicate that continued practice of the exercises can maintain the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation.