Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae]

Pulmonary rehabilitation was evaluated for a mean period of 3.9 weeks in 37 inpatients with pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae. The rehabilitation program consisted of relaxation, breathing retraining, exercise training, respiratory muscle training and instruction. Significant improvement was shown in VC (n = 37) on average from 1.48 l to 1.59 l, in FEV1.0 (n = 37) from 0.93 l to 1.02 l, in PaO2 (n = 35) from 67.1 Torr to 72.4 Torr, in 6-minute walking distance (n = 29) from 303 m to 339 m, in Pimax (n = 17) from 38.5 cmH2O to 47.5 cmH2O, in activity (n = 23) from 19.6 points to 22.5 points, in dyspnea (n = 22) from 18.4 points to 22.5 points and in QOL (n = 25) from 39.0 points to 44.2 points. The effects of pulmonary rehabilitation did not depend on past thoracic surgery for tuberculosis, pattern of ventilatory impairment, findings of chest radiography, or degree of insufficiency. These data suggest that pulmonary rehabilitation is of benefit for improving pulmonary function, exercise tolerance, symptoms and QOL in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae.