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Behavioral interventions in asthma. Breathing training.

Thomas Ritz1, Walton T Roth

  • 1Psychological Institute III, University of Hamburg, Germany. Thomas.ritz@uni-hamburg.de

Behavior Modification
|October 9, 2003
PubMed
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Breathing exercises for asthma show limited clinical evidence for significant lung function improvement. While some techniques like pursed-lip breathing show promise, more research is needed to confirm benefits and understand mechanisms.

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Breathing exercises are commonly suggested as supplementary asthma treatments.
  • Current systematic documentation of their benefits in asthma patients is scarce.
  • The physiological basis for techniques like abdominal breathing in asthma remains unclear, with reported adverse effects in other chronic obstructive conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review the existing literature on the efficacy of various breathing exercises as adjunctive therapy for asthma.
  • To evaluate the clinical evidence supporting the benefits and potential mechanisms of different breathing techniques in asthma management.
  • To identify gaps in current research regarding breathing exercises for asthma.

Main Methods:

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  • A comprehensive review of current scientific literature was conducted.
  • Studies examining the effects of various breathing exercises, including abdominal, pursed-lip, nasal, inspiratory muscle training, and hypoventilation training, were analyzed.
  • Focus was placed on documented benefits, physiological rationale, adverse effects, and impact on lung function parameters and medication use.

    • Main Results:

    • Little systematic evidence supports the benefits of most breathing exercises in asthma.
    • Pursed-lip and nasal breathing show theoretical promise, but clinical data is lacking.
    • Inspiratory muscle training and hypoventilation training offer limited evidence for reducing medication reliance, particularly beta-adrenergic inhalers; however, overall lung function parameters are not substantially affected.

    Conclusions:

    • Current evidence for the effectiveness of breathing exercises as an asthma adjunctive treatment is limited.
    • Further research is essential to elucidate the psychological and physiological mechanisms, identify effects in specific asthma subgroups, and assess the generalization of training benefits.
    • Breathing exercises do not appear to significantly alter basal lung function in asthma patients.