Abstract
University of Belgrade School of Medicine, Institute of Lung Diseases and Tuberculosis,
Research and Epidemiology Department, Belgrade, Serbia
University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Gr T Popa" Iasi,
Clinical Section of Medical Respiratory Rehabilitation, Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital Iasi, Romania
Contact: dppesut@verat.net, dragica.pesut@gmail.com, lauraciobanu@yahoo.com
Abstract
This paper is a review of current approach in pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic pulmonary diseases. Pulmonary rehabilitation is the most accepted method of non-pharmacological treatment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, neuromuscular degenerative disease and post-tuberculosis lung sequelae. Together with oxygen therapy it is the most important intervention in chronic respiratory failure in order to improve exercise tolerance, lung function and self-management. Enrolling patients in pulmonary rehabilitation programmes is a consistent help for a better control of their illness and a step forward to the international standards of treating chronic respiratory diseases. It is evidenced based that pulmonary rehabilitation may be effective as directed to survival improvement, symptoms, quality of life, participation of chronic pulmonary patients in daily life and reducing utilisation of costly healthcare resources.
Key words: pulmonary rehabilitation, COPD, non-COPD respiratory diseases, exercise tolerance, physical training, tobacco smoking, cessation
