title: Pulmonary rehabilitation and COPD: providing patients a good environment for optimizing therapy.
abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an obstructive and progressive airway disease associated with an important reduction in daily physical activity and psychological problems that contribute to the patient's disability and poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Nowadays, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) plays an essential role in the management of symptomatic patients with COPD, by breaking the vicious circle of dyspnea-decreased activity-deconditioning-isolation. Indeed the main benefits of comprehensive PR programs for patients with COPD include a decrease in symptoms (dyspnea and fatigue), improvements in exercise tolerance and HRQoL, reduction of health care utilization (particularly bed-days), as well as an increase in physical activity. Several randomized studies and meta-analyses greatly established the benefits of PR, which additionally, is recommended in a number of influential guidelines. This review aimed to highlight the impact of PR on COPD patients, focusing on the clinical usefulness of PR, which provides patients a good support for change.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Sart-Tilman Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Corhay
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Sart-Tilman Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Delphine Nguyen
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Sart-Tilman Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Van Cauwenberge
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Sart-Tilman Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Louis
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004777:Environment; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010349:Patient Compliance; D016730:Program Development; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; exercise training; physical activity; quality of life