Living with breathing pattern disorder: a scoping review.

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Psychology
• Social Sciences

Background:

• Breathing Pattern Disorder (BPD) is a condition with diverse symptoms that can mimic serious pathologies.
• The experience of BPD is poorly represented in existing literature, often limited to Western perspectives and older case reports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review to comprehensively overview the conceptualization and reporting of breathing pattern disorder (BPD) experiences in the literature.
• To identify key themes related to BPD symptoms, triggers, diagnosis, patient reactions, healthcare utilization, and associated conditions.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was performed using the Arksey and O'Malley framework.
• Searches were conducted across multiple databases (ASSIA, CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO) for English-language reports on adults.
• Sixty-two reports were included, and their reference lists were screened.

Main Results:

• Eight themes emerged, including diverse symptoms mimicking serious pathology, stress-related triggers, and precipitating life experiences like trauma.
• The diagnostic pathway for BPD was often prolonged and complex, leading to varied patient reactions and frequent healthcare use.
• BPD was associated with panic, anxiety, depression, reduced quality of life, and poorer asthma control.

Conclusions:

• Evidence on the lived experience of BPD is sparse and predominantly Western-centric.
• The lack of agreed definitions and diagnostic methods complicates literature searching and understanding of BPD.
• Further research with diverse methodologies is needed to clarify BPD definition, diagnosis, and experiences globally.