Are breathing exercises an effective strategy for people with asthma?

The effect of breathing techniques on asthma symptoms and disease control is uncertain.

To investigate whether physiotherapist-taught breathing exercises can improve asthma control and reduce the condition's impact on patients' quality of life.

A randomised controlled trial comparing breathing training with asthma education (control for non-specific effects of healthcare professionals' attention) was carried out.

One month after the intervention, both groups showed similar improvements in asthma quality-of-life questionnaire scores but, at six months, there was a significant difference between groups in favour of breathing training. There was also a significant difference in anxiety and depression scores in favour of breathing training at six months.

This study found that adult patients with asthma who were taught breathing exercises showed improvements in quality of life, symptoms and psychological well-being after six months. Breathing exercises may have a role in helping the many people treated for asthma in general practice who have symptoms despite inhaled treatment.