| Abstract |
Purpose : In self-management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), breathing exercises can effectively improve respiratory muscle strength and endurance, correct abnormal thoracic spine and abdominal motions, and reduce dyspnea and dynamic hyperinflation. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to examine recent trends in self-management breathing exercises for patients with COPD. Methods: We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PEDro, and CENTRAL databases until March 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating pulmonary function and exercise capacity through self-management breathing exercises (BEs) in patients with COPD. We used Cochrane’s risk of bias tool for qualitative analysis. Postintervention results were quantitatively analyzed using RevMan 5.4. Results : We selected 6 RCTs of 1,039 patients with COPD performing self-management BEs. A previous systematic review and meta-analysis also included six RCTs. For pulmonary function, we found that the results of the patients performing BEs were no more effective than those of the control groups (−0.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.44 to 0.27; heterogeneity, χ2 = 9.73, df = 3, I2 = 69%; overall effect, Z = 0.45). However, for exercise capacity, the results of the patients performing BEs were more effective than those of the control groups (0.37; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.64; heterogeneity, χ2 = 19.54, df = 5, I2 = 74%; overall effect, Z = 2.65). Conclusion : COPD self-management BEs did not significantly affect pulmonary function, but positively affected exercise capacity. |