title: Local incentive spirometry improves peak expiratory flow rate in teenage sickle cell anaemia patients: a randomized pilot trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Efforts to promote better health of sickle cell anaemia (SCA) patients in low-income countries through the use of cheap and available alternatives are desirable.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated whether a locally designed incentive spirometry will improve peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) of teenage SCA patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine SCA teenagers were randomized into either the SCA spirometry or the SCA control groups, which had 24 and 25 patients respectively. They were initially compared with 25 matched non-SCA teenagers. The SCA spirometry group went through a six-week, thrice-daily local incentive spirometry while the control did not go through the exercise.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The PEFR of the SCA spirometry group improved significantly (p = 0.001) between the third and sixth week (211.04 ± 55.67 to 292.08 ± 40.86 litres/min) unlike that of the SCA control group (p = 0.605). At six weeks, PEFR of the SCA spirometry group improved significantly (t=0.624, p=0.003) over that of the SCA control group. However, the improved PEFR of the SCA spirometry group did not match that of their non-SCA counterparts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Locally designed incentive spirometry improved PEFR of the SCA teenagers significantly in six weeks of spirometry exercise. Routine improvement in PEFR of SCA patients with the aid of incentive spirometry should be encouraged to improve lung function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. adeniyifatai@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Adeniyi
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Saminu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate / Q000502:physiology; D012138:Respiratory Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013147:Spirometry / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult