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Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs

Improving Outcomes in Elderly Patients with COPD

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Disease Management & Health Outcomes

Abstract

Pulmonary rehabilitation programs aim to improve the health of elderly patients disabled by lung disease. Despite the widespread application of these programs limited scientific data is available on the subject, except in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This review presents an overview on outcomes of pulmonary rehabilitation programs in elderly patients with COPD. Statistically significant improvements can be found for functional and maximal exercise capacity, as well as for health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). However, clinically relevant improvements are mainly found for functional exercise capacity and especially for HR-QOL. Rehabilitation programs including elderly patients with COPD also showed clinically relevant improvements in dyspnea and fatigue and an enhancement of the patient’s control over their condition. Therefore, rehabilitation is an important form of treatment and one of the main components of the management of COPD in elderly patients.

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Acknowledgments

No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this manuscript. The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the contents of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine and Emergency Department, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

    Jörg D. Leuppi &  Roland M. Bingisser (Consultant in Pulmonary Medicine, Head)

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  1. Jörg D. Leuppi
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  2. Roland M. Bingisser
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Correspondence to Roland M. Bingisser.

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Leuppi, J.D., Bingisser, R.M. Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs. Dis-Manage-Health-Outcomes 12, 281–284 (2004). https://doi.org/10.2165/00115677-200412050-00001

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