A 1-year follow-up study exploring the associations between perception of Illness and health-related quality of life in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory disease with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Its potential consequences, including reduced function and reduced social participation, are likely to be associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, illness perceptions and self-efficacy beliefs may also play a part in determining HRQoL in persons with COPD. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between illness perceptions, self-efficacy, and HRQoL in a sample of persons with COPD in a longitudinal perspective. The context of the study was a patient education course from which the participants were recruited. Data concerning sociodemographic variables, social support, physical activity, illness perceptions, general self-efficacy, and HRQoL were collected before the course started and 1 year after completion. Linear regression was used in the analyses. The results showed that less consequences and less symptoms (identity) were associated with higher physical HRQoL (PCS) at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Less emotional response was similarly associated with higher mental HRQoL (MCS) at both time points. Lower self-efficacy showed a borderline significant association with higher PCS at baseline, but was unrelated to MCS at both time points. Self-efficacy showed no influence on the associations between illness perceptions and HRQoL. In conclusion, the study showed that specific illness perceptions had a stable ability to predict HRQoL in persons with COPD, whereas self-efficacy did not. The associations between illness perceptions and HRQoL were not mediated by self-efficac

Pulmonary rehabilitation to improve physical capacity, dyspnea, and quality of life following pulmonary embolism (the PeRehab study): study protocol for a two-center randomized controlled trial

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A 1-year follow-up study exploring the associations between perception of Illness and health-related quality of life in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory disease with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Its potential consequences, including reduced function and reduced social participation, are likely to be associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, illness perceptions and self-efficacy beliefs may also play a part in determining HRQoL in persons with COPD. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between illness perceptions, self-efficacy, and HRQoL in a sample of persons with COPD in a longitudinal perspective. The context of the study was a patient education course from which the participants were recruited. Data concerning sociodemographic variables, social support, physical activity, illness perceptions, general self-efficacy, and HRQoL were collected before the course started and 1 year after completion. Linear regression was used in the analyses. The results showed that less consequences and less symptoms (identity) were associated with higher physical HRQoL (PCS) at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Less emotional response was similarly associated with higher mental HRQoL (MCS) at both time points. Lower self-efficacy showed a borderline significant association with higher PCS at baseline, but was unrelated to MCS at both time points. Self-efficacy showed no influence on the associations between illness perceptions and HRQoL. In conclusion, the study showed that specific illness perceptions had a stable ability to predict HRQoL in persons with COPD, whereas self-efficacy did not. The associations between illness perceptions and HRQoL were not mediated by self-efficac

Treatment of urinary incontinence in women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—a randomised controlled study

Background Little is known regarding treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) in women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the study was to explore the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) or cough-suppression techniques (CST) on UI in women with COPD. Methods A three-armed, two-centred, single-blinded, randomised controlled study was performed. Subjects were randomised to (a) PFMT for 16 weeks, (b) 2–3 educational sessions in CST, or (c) written information only. All participants completed questionnaires about UI, cough symptoms, and health status and underwent clinical examinations to evaluate the strength of the pelvic floor muscles and exercise capacity. Daily physical activity levels were measured using an activity monitor and lung function with spirometry. With a significance level of 5% and an 80% chance of detecting a significant difference between groups of 2.5 points on the ICIQ UI SF score, our sample size calculation showed that a total of 78 women, 26 in each group, was required to complete the study. Results During the period 2016 to 2018, 95 women were invited to the study. A total of 42 were recruited, three were excluded and 10 (24%) dropped out during the follow-up period. Mean ICIQ-UI SF total baseline score was 9.6 (range: 1–17) and 7.0 (range: 0–16) at follow-up. Changes in subjective UI as measured with the ICIQ-UI SF questionnaire were seen in the PFMT group and control group, but not in the CST group. Conclusion Due to the low number of available participants and recruitment difficulties including practical issues such as travel distance, lack of interest, poor state of health, and high number of comorbidities, our results are inconclusive. However, reduced subjective UI was observed in the PFMT and control groups with a trend towards best effect in the PFMT group. Screening for UI is advisable in all women with COPD to be able to identify and treat these women to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life. Future studies should focus on barriers to recruitment as well as randomised controlled studies with larger sample sizes. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02614105. 25th November 2015

Treatment of urinary incontinence in women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—a randomised controlled study

Background Little is known regarding treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) in women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the study was to explore the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) or cough-suppression techniques (CST) on UI in women with COPD. Methods A three-armed, two-centred, single-blinded, randomised controlled study was performed. Subjects were randomised to (a) PFMT for 16 weeks, (b) 2–3 educational sessions in CST, or (c) written information only. All participants completed questionnaires about UI, cough symptoms, and health status and underwent clinical examinations to evaluate the strength of the pelvic floor muscles and exercise capacity. Daily physical activity levels were measured using an activity monitor and lung function with spirometry. With a significance level of 5% and an 80% chance of detecting a significant difference between groups of 2.5 points on the ICIQ UI SF score, our sample size calculation showed that a total of 78 women, 26 in each group, was required to complete the study. Results During the period 2016 to 2018, 95 women were invited to the study. A total of 42 were recruited, three were excluded and 10 (24%) dropped out during the follow-up period. Mean ICIQ-UI SF total baseline score was 9.6 (range: 1–17) and 7.0 (range: 0–16) at follow-up. Changes in subjective UI as measured with the ICIQ-UI SF questionnaire were seen in the PFMT group and control group, but not in the CST group. Conclusion Due to the low number of available participants and recruitment difficulties including practical issues such as travel distance, lack of interest, poor state of health, and high number of comorbidities, our results are inconclusive. However, reduced subjective UI was observed in the PFMT and control groups with a trend towards best effect in the PFMT group. Screening for UI is advisable in all women with COPD to be able to identify and treat these women to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life. Future studies should focus on barriers to recruitment as well as randomised controlled studies with larger sample sizes. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02614105. 25th November 2015

Treatment of urinary incontinence in women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—a randomised controlled study

Background Little is known regarding treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) in women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the study was to explore the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) or cough-suppression techniques (CST) on UI in women with COPD. Methods A three-armed, two-centred, single-blinded, randomised controlled study was performed. Subjects were randomised to (a) PFMT for 16 weeks, (b) 2–3 educational sessions in CST, or (c) written information only. All participants completed questionnaires about UI, cough symptoms, and health status and underwent clinical examinations to evaluate the strength of the pelvic floor muscles and exercise capacity. Daily physical activity levels were measured using an activity monitor and lung function with spirometry. With a significance level of 5% and an 80% chance of detecting a significant difference between groups of 2.5 points on the ICIQ UI SF score, our sample size calculation showed that a total of 78 women, 26 in each group, was required to complete the study. Results During the period 2016 to 2018, 95 women were invited to the study. A total of 42 were recruited, three were excluded and 10 (24%) dropped out during the follow-up period. Mean ICIQ-UI SF total baseline score was 9.6 (range: 1–17) and 7.0 (range: 0–16) at follow-up. Changes in subjective UI as measured with the ICIQ-UI SF questionnaire were seen in the PFMT group and control group, but not in the CST group. Conclusion Due to the low number of available participants and recruitment difficulties including practical issues such as travel distance, lack of interest, poor state of health, and high number of comorbidities, our results are inconclusive. However, reduced subjective UI was observed in the PFMT and control groups with a trend towards best effect in the PFMT group. Screening for UI is advisable in all women with COPD to be able to identify and treat these women to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life. Future studies should focus on barriers to recruitment as well as randomised controlled studies with larger sample sizes. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02614105. 25th November 2015

Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on cardiac magnetic resonance parameters in patients with persistent dyspnea following pulmonary embolism

Background Persistent dyspnea and reduced exercise capacity is common in pulmonary embolism (PE) survivors. Although improved right ventricular function after pulmonary rehabilitation has been demonstrated in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, it is still unknown whether a similar effect also occurs in other patients with dyspnea after pulmonary embolism. Purpose The aim of this study was to explore potential effects of a pulmonary rehabilitation program on cardiac structure and function as assessed with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Material and methods Twenty-six PE survivors with persistent dyspnea were included. Right and left ventricular assessment with CMR was performed before and after an eight-week pulmonary rehabilitation program. Results Dyspnea as measured by the Shortness of Breath Questionnaire improved significantly after rehabilitation: 15 (IQR: 7–31) versus 8 (IQR: 3–17). Absolute right ventricular global longitudinal strain by CMR was reduced from 19% to 18% (95% CI of difference: 0–3 percent points), and absolute RV lateral strain from 26% to 24% (95% CI of difference: 1–4 percent points). Right ventricular mass was reduced after rehabilitation from 49 g to 44 g (95% CI of difference: 2–8 g). Conclusion Although there was a substantial improvement in dyspnea after rehabilitation, we found only a minor reduction in absolute right ventricular longitudinal strain and right ventricular mass. No other CMR parameter changed. We therefore suggest that rehabilitation effect of in this patient group was not primarily mediated by cardiac adaptions.publishedVersio

The Effects of Exercise Training in Patients With Persistent Dyspnea Following Pulmonary Embolism:A Randomized Controlled Trial

Bakgrunn Vedvarende dyspné, funksjonelle begrensninger og redusert livskvalitet (QoL) er vanlig etter lungeemboli (PE). Rehabilitering er et potensielt behandlingsalternativ , men den vitenskapelige dokumentasjonen er begrenset. Forskningsspørsmål Forbedrer et treningsbasert rehabiliteringsprogram treningskapasiteten hos PE-overlevere med vedvarende dyspné? Studiedesign og metoder Denne randomiserte kontrollerte studien ble utført ved to sykehus. Pasienter med vedvarende dyspné etter PE diagnostisert 6 til 72 måneder tidligere, uten kardiopulmonale komorbiditeter, ble randomisert 1:1 til enten rehabiliterings- eller kontrollgruppen. Rehabiliteringsprogrammet besto av to ukentlige økter med fysisk trening i 8 uker og en pedagogisk økt. Kontrollgruppen fikk vanlig pleie. Det primære endepunktet var forskjellen i Incremental Shuttle Walk Test mellom grupper ved oppfølging. Sekundære endepunkter inkluderte forskjeller i Endurance Shuttle Walk Test (ESWT), QoL (EQ-5D og lungeemboli-QoL spørreskjemaer) og dyspné (Shortness of Breath spørreskjema). Resultater Totalt 211 forsøkspersoner ble inkludert: 108 (51 %) ble randomisert til rehabiliteringsgruppen og 103 (49 %) til kontrollgruppen. Ved oppfølging presterte deltakerne fordelt på rehabiliteringsgruppen bedre på ISWT sammenlignet med kontrollgruppen (gjennomsnittlig forskjell, 53,0 m; 95 % KI, 17,7-88,3; P = 0,0035). Rehabiliteringsgruppen rapporterte bedre skårer på spørreskjemaet lungeemboli-kvalitet (gjennomsnittlig forskjell, –4 %; 95 % KI, –0,09 til 0,00; P = 0,041) ved oppfølging, men det var ingen forskjeller i generisk livskvalitet, dyspné. score, eller ESWT. Ingen uønskede hendelser oppsto under intervensjonen. Tolkning Hos pasienter med vedvarende dyspné etter PE hadde de som gjennomgikk rehabilitering bedre treningskapasitet ved oppfølging enn de som fikk vanlig behandling. Rehabilitering bør vurderes hos pasienter med vedvarende dyspné etter PE. Ytterligere forskning er imidlertid nødvendig for å vurdere optimal pasientvalg, tidspunkt, modus og varighet av rehabilitering.publishedVersio