title: Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Patients with Chronic Airways Obstruction.
abstract: Pulmonary rehabilitation is a patient-centered and interdisciplinary intervention with major components of exercise training and self-management education. Although having no direct effect on lung function, this intervention often results in substantial improvements in respiratory symptoms, functional status, and health status. It probably also reduces subsequent health care utilization, especially when provided after a hospitalization for an exacerbation of airways disease. The beneficial effects of pulmonary rehabilitation reflect its ability to reduce the impact of systemic consequences of chronic respiratory disease and to improve patients' self-efficacy through promoting collaborative self-management. Pulmonary rehabilitation is indicated for patients with respiratory diseases (regardless of specific diagnosis) who have persistent symptoms or functional or health status limitation despite otherwise optimal medical therapy. Those patients with severe asthma (particularly those with airways remodeling) or asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap who have daily symptoms and substantial functional/health status limitation despite controller and bronchodilator therapy would be appropriate candidates for pulmonary rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Providence VA Medical Center, Providence RI.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nici
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care - Medical, Saint Francis Medical Group, Hartford, Conn. Electronic address: RZuWalla@stfranciscare.org.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: ZuWallack
mesh_terms: D001521:Behavior Therapy; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000534:rehabilitation*
keywords: COPD; Exercise training; Pulmonary rehabilitation; Self-management