The Effect of 20-Minute Mindful Breathing on the Rapid Reduction of Dyspnoea at Rest in Patients with Lung Diseases: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Author: Tan SB1, Liam CK1, Pang YK1, Leh-Ching Ng D2, Wong TS1, Wei-Shen Khoo K1, Ooi CY1, Chai CS3
Affiliation:
1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.
3Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia. Electronic address: cschai@unimas.my.
Conference/Journal: J Pain Symptom Manage.
Date published: 2019 Jan 23
Other: Pages: S0885-3924(19)30042-9 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.01.009. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 229


CONTEXT: Dyspnoea is a common and distressing symptom in respiratory diseases. Despite advances in the treatment of various lung diseases, the treatment modalities for dyspnoea remain limited.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to examine the effect of 20-minute mindful breathing on the rapid reduction of dyspnoea at rest in patients with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

METHODS: We conducted a parallel-group, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial of standard care plus 20-minute mindful breathing versus standard care alone for patients with moderate to severe dyspnoea due to lung disease named above at the respiratory unit of University Malaya Medical Centre in Malaysia, from 1st August 2017 to 31st March 2018.

RESULTS: Sixty-three participants were randomly assigned to standard care plus a 20-minute mindful breathing session (n = 32) or standard care alone (n = 31), with no difference in their demographic and clinical characteristics. There was statistically significant reduction in dyspnoea in the mindful breathing group compared to the control group at minute 5 (U = 233.5, n1 = 32, n2 =31, mean rank1 = 23.28, mean rank2 = 37.72, z = -3.574, p < 0.001) and minute 20 (U = 232.0, n1 = 32, n2 =31, mean rank1 = 23.00, mean rank2 = 36.77, z = -3.285, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence that a single session of 20-minute mindful breathing is effective in reducing dyspnoea rapidly for patients with lung cancer, COPD and asthma.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.

KEYWORDS: Mindfulness breathing; asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; dyspnoea; lung cancer; palliative

PMID: 30684635 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.01.009

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