Effects of Balneotherapy on Pulmonary Function and Quality of Life in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Abstract

Session presented on Friday, July 25, 2014: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of balneotherapy on pulmonary function and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Subjects managed at a chest medical clinic of a medical center in Taipei city were included voluntarily after signing informed consents. The inclusion criteria were age >40, the mild and moderate COPD by GOLD criteria. The 10 subjects in the experimental group received balneotherapy twice per week for 6 weeks with regular medical treatment. The balneotherapy included the diaphragmatic breathing (DB), pursed lips breathing (PLB), and walking in the pool of the hot spring. Subjects in the experimental group had'a one-hour instruction by a professional instructor. The 14 subjects in control group received medical treatment without balneotherapy. All subjects received pulmonary function tests and WHOQOL-Bref (Taiwan) questionnaire prior to the operation (pre-test) and 6 weeks later (post-test). The experimental group received third measurement at the end of operation for 4 weeks (post post-test). The statistical analysis applied in data analysis included percentage, mean, standard deviation, chi-square, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Friedman analysis of variance by ranks. Results: The results indicated that subjects in the experimental group had improvement in mean of FEV 1% predicted and QOL (p<.05) after balneotherapy, while subjects in the control group did not. Differences of pulmonary function and quality of life of COPD patients of experimental and control group. Conclusion: The present study implies that balneotherapy were effective in improving pulmonary function and quality of life of patients with mild and moderate COPD. The results of this study could be used as a reference for health professionals in COPD management.