Relaxation Techniques for People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis

الملخص EN

Introduction.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) people suffer from severe physical impairments, which often elicit significant psychological distress and impact their quality of life.

This meta-analysis aimed to assess evidence from the scientific literature on the effects of relaxation techniques.

Methods.

We investigated 9 databases to select 25 RCTs.

Studies included both inpatients and outpatients with COPD.

Both respiratory and psychological outcomes were considered.

Results.

Relaxation techniques showed a little positive effect on the value of the percentage of predicted FEV1 (d=0.20; 95% Cl: 0.40–−0.01) as well as a slight effect on levels of both the anxiety (d=0.26; 95% Cl: 0.42–0.10) and depression (d=0.33; 95% Cl: 0.53–0.13).

The higher effect size was found in the quality of life value (d=0.38; 95% Cl: 0.51–0.24).

The assessed quality of the studies, based on the PEDro Scale, was generally medium/high.

Conclusion.

Relaxation training can have a moderate impact on both psychological well-being and respiratory function, resulting in noticeable improvements in both.

Although higher quality research is required, our results sustain the importance of relaxation techniques as a tool to manage COPD.