Are the gains from pulmonary rehabilitation the same in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases?

İpek Özmen; Elif Yıldırım; Meral Karakış; Murat Öztürk; Rüya Aydın; Emre Şahal

doi:10.36141/svdld.v41i3.15530

Are the gains from pulmonary rehabilitation the same in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases?

Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis. 2024 Sep 24;41(3):e2024038. doi: 10.36141/svdld.v41i3.15530.

Authors

İpek Özmen¹, Elif Yıldırım², Meral Karakış³, Murat Öztürk³, Rüya Aydın³, Emre Şahal⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of pulmonology and Pulmonary rehabilitation unit, University of Health Sciences Süreyyapaşa Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Research and Training Hospital, İstanbul Türkiye.
² 1Department of pulmonology and Pulmonary rehabilitation unit, University of Health Sciences Süreyyapaşa Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Research and Training Hospital, İstanbul Türkiye.
³ Pulmonary rehabilitation unit, University of Health Sciences Süreyyapaşa Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Research and Training Hospital, İstanbul Türkiye.
⁴ Livewell Southwest Mount Gould Hospital, Plymouth, UK.

Abstract

Introduction: In addition to dyspnoea and cough in interstitial lung diseases (ILD), the main symptom is decreased effort capacity. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR)is recommended besides medical treatment approaches in chronic respiratory diseases. PR programs include approaches such as exercise training, patient and family training, nutritional assessment and support, psychosocial assessment and support. COPD patients more often directed to PR programs, besides that PR is also recommended for ILD. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the PR-related gains in patinets with IPF and non-IPF ILD.

Methods: This retrospective study that we evaluated the PR data, demographic features of the patients with ILD who completed PR program between 2017 and 2020. PR was an 8-week (2days) outpatient PR program including aerobic and strengthening exercises. The 6-minute walking test (6MWT) results, quality of life scores that were recorded at the beginning and end of the PR program were evaluated.The patients were evaluated in two groups, patinets with IPF and non-IPF ILD.

Results: A total of 56 patients (30 IPF, 26 non-IPF) with mean age 62±10 were included in the study. Among IPF patients 23 (77%) of them were receiving antifibrotic drugs. Non -IPF patients were: Unclassified ILD 9(16%), nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) 8 (14%), sarcoidosis 3(%5), fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP) 3 (5%), sjogren 2 (4%), scleroderma 1(2%). Both in IPF and non-IPF groups improvement in 6MWT, SGRQ total score after PR were statistically significantly improved (p= 0.001, p=0.002), (p= 0.001, p=0.018). Inspiratory muscle evaluation, MIP statistically increased after PR both in IPF and non-IPF patients (p= 0.015, p=0.028). There no significant differences in gains after PR program in walking capacity, quality of life, maximum inspiratory pressure between IPF and non-IPF patients.

Conclusion: PR programs provide significant gains both in patints with IPF and non-IPF ILD. It is important that patients should be directed to PR programs in the early stages of ILD.