Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 26, 2026
Breath Collection from Children for Disease Biomarker Discovery
Published on: February 14, 2019
Assessing the impact of breathing retraining on asthma symptoms and dysfunctional breathing in children
Claire Hepworth1, Ian Sinha2, Gemma L Saint3
1Department of Physiotherapy, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Insights
Breathing retraining significantly improved asthma control and dysfunctional breathing in children. Physiotherapy interventions enhanced asthma management across all treatment levels, warranting further research.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Respiratory Physiotherapy
- Asthma Management
Background:
- Dysfunctional breathing (DB) is common in children with asthma.
- Breathing retraining shows promise for DB but lacks pediatric evidence.
- Asthma control in children requires effective, evidence-based interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of breathing retraining on asthma symptoms and DB in pediatric patients.
- To assess the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions, including Buteyko techniques, for children with asthma.
- To determine if breathing retraining improves asthma control and DB across different asthma severity levels.
Main Methods:
- 169 children (aged 2-18) with asthma received tailored physiotherapy, including Buteyko breathing techniques.
- Primary outcomes measured changes in Asthma Control Test (ACT) or childhood ACT (CACT) scores.
- Secondary outcome measured changes in Nijmegen Questionnaire (NQ) scores to assess DB.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements observed in ACT/CACT scores (4.4/4.9 point increase, P<0.0001).
- Significant reduction in NQ scores by -9.3 points (P<0.0001), indicating decreased DB symptoms.
- Improvements were consistent across all asthma treatment guideline steps.
Conclusions:
- Individually tailored physiotherapy, including breathing retraining, effectively improves asthma control and DB in children.
- These interventions complement standard medical therapy for pediatric asthma.
- Further randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of these specific interventions.
Objective:
To assess the impact of breathing retraining on asthma symptoms and dysfunctional breathing (DB) in children. Breathing retraining can improve DB but there is a lack of evidence in pediatrics.
Methods:
Participants attended outpatient physiotherapy appointments and received individually tailored interventions, particularly Buteyko breathing techniques. The primary outcome was the change in the Asthma Control Test (ACT) score or change in childhood ACT (CACT) score from first to final appointment. The ACT and CACT are validated in children more than or equal to 12 years and children aged 4 to 11, respectively. The secondary outcome measure was the change in Nijmegen Questionnaire (NQ) score from first to the final appointment (score range, 0-64) with a score of more than or equal to 23 indicating DB symptoms.
Results:
One hundred and sixty-nine children with asthma attended and completed a mean of six physiotherapy sessions, over a mean of 15 weeks. Patients were aged 2 to 18, mean 10 years. Fifty-five patients were more than or equal to 12 years old and 114 were less than or equal to 11 years. One hundred and seven patients were receiving BTS/SIGN asthma guideline step 1 to 3 therapy and 62 were on step 4 to 5 therapy. The mean ACT score improved by 4.4 (P < 0.0001), the mean CACT score improved by 4.9 (P < 0.0001), and the mean NQ score change improved by -9.3 points (P < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
In addition to standard medical therapy, individually tailored physiotherapy interventions improved asthma control and DB in children on all levels of asthma treatment. A randomized controlled study is required to determine whether these improvements are due to the intervention.
More Related Videos
08:35Oxygenation-sensitive Cardiac MRI with Vasoactive Breathing Maneuvers for the Non-invasive Assessment of Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction
Published on: August 17, 2022
08:34Investigation into Deep Breathing through Measurement of Ventilatory Parameters and Observation of Breathing Patterns
Published on: September 16, 2019
Related Concept Videos
01:05Breathing
01:24Asthma-III: Symptoms and Complications
Classification of Asthma
01:23Mechanism of Breathing II: Expiration
Expiration, or exhaling, is a complex physiological process that begins as the inspiratory muscles begin to relax. This relaxation triggers a series of events that epitomize the efficiency of the respiratory system.
Mechanism of Expiration:
01:30Mechanism of Breathing I: Inspiration
The respiratory system, an essential network for breathing, comprises the conducting and respiratory zones, each playing a crucial role in the overall process of respiration. Let us explore the detailed mechanism of inspiration, or inhalation, which is the first phase of the respiratory cycle.
Pathway of Air during Inspiration
During inspiration, air enters our body through the nose or mouth and moves through the conducting zone,...
01:30Serum Laboratory Studies, Stool Test, Breath Test
01:21Mechanism of Breathing III: The Accessory Muscles
The respiratory system is a complex network that relies on primary respiratory muscles like the diaphragm, but also involves accessory muscles to enhance lung expansion and airflow during both inhalation and exhalation.
Enhancing Inhalation with Accessory Muscles:
Accessory muscles such as the sternocleidomastoid, scalene, intercostal, and abdominal muscles are crucial when additional respiratory effort is required, such as during deep...