Effect of fan therapy on dyspnea in patients with chronic respiratory diseases during exercise: A randomized...

Dyspnea is prevalent in chronic respiratory diseases and arises from mismatch between respiratory demand and ventilation response. Cooling sensations on the face have been shown to help alleviate dyspnea.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of fan therapy during exercise in reducing dyspnea and enhancing physical capacity in patients with chronic respiratory conditions.

This study is a crossover randomized controlled trial comparing the level of dyspnea in patients with chronic breathlessness during a 6-min walking test (6MWT) with and without a portable fan worn around the neck. Patients were randomized to perform two 6MWT, beginning either with or without the fan.

25 patients with chronic respiratory disease were recruited and separated into two groups of 12 and 13 participants, homogeneous in sex distribution. Results showed a significant lower breathlessness at the end of the 6MWT as well as a lower change of dyspnea during the test with the fan therapy compared to the 6MWT without (p < 0.001 for both measures). There was a significant increase of the distance traveled every 2 min in absolute (p = 0.014, p = 0.003, p < 0.001 at 2, 4 and 6 min respectively) and relative value (p = 0.003) during the test with fan.

This study demonstrated a clinical and significant improvement in dyspnea relief and functional capacity when using a fan across the face in individuals performing physical activity.