title: Breathing retraining - a five-year follow-up of patients with dysfunctional breathing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The term dysfunctional breathing (DB) has been introduced to describe patients who display divergent breathing patterns and have breathing problems that cannot be attributed to a specific medical diagnosis. Patients with DB are often misdiagnosed as having asthma.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe patients with DB, five years after a breathing retraining intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Out of initially 25 patients with DB and 25 age and sex-matched patients with asthma, 22 patients with DB and 23 patients with asthma (ages 25-78 years) were followed up after five years. Data were collected from posted self-report questionnaires. Only patients with DB had received breathing retraining, consisting of information, advice and diaphragmatic breathing. Patients were evaluated regarding quality of life (SF-36), anxiety, depression, sense of coherence, hyperventilation, influence on daily life, emergency room (ER) visits, and symptoms associated with DB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Quality of life (SF-36), physical component summary scale (PCS), had improved in patients with DB from 43 to 47 (p = 0.03). The number of ER visits had decreased from 18 to 2 in patients with DB (p = 0.02). Symptoms associated with DB had decreased extensively, from a mean score of 6.9 to 2.7, on a DB criterion list (p < 0.001). Patients with DB were less impaired by their breathing problems both in daily life and when exercising (p < 0.001). The only difference found over time in the asthma group concerned quality of health, bodily pain, which had deteriorated, from 77 to 68 (p = 0.049).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This five-year follow-up study indicates that patients with dysfunctional breathing benefit from breathing retraining.
authors: Department of Physiotherapy, Falu Hospital, SE-791 82 Falun, Sweden. carina.hagman@ltdalarna.se
authors: Carina
authors: C
authors: Hagman
authors: Christer
authors: C
authors: Janson
authors: Margareta
authors: M
authors: Emtner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D001945:Breathing Exercises; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006985:Hyperventilation / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents