Efficacy of pulmonary rehabilitation on patients with non-cystic bronchiectasis according to disease severity

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Efficacy of pulmonary rehabilitation on patients with non-cystic bronchiectasis according to disease severity Introduction: The European Respiratory Society guidelines support pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in bronchiectasis through high-quality evidence. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of PR on bronchiectasis patients according to disease severity assessed by the Bronchiectasis Severity Index (BSI). Materials and Methods: This prospective study included patients with stable bronchiectasis. Demographic data of all patients were questioned. All patients underwent an 8-week PR program. The patients were grouped into three according to disease severity (mild, moderate and severe) based on their BSI scores. The following parameters were evaluated at baseline (pre-PR) and after PR (post-PR): pulmonary function test results, carbon monoxide diffusion capacity, body mass index, exercise capacity (6-minute walking test), quality of life (QoL; St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scores. Results: The study included 69 patients (55 males; mean age, 62.6 ± 9 years). After PR, the patients were observed to have significantly improved QoL and exercise capacity (p 0.05) in the groups. Conclusion: PR increases exercise capacity and QoL in bronchiectasis patients, and its efficacy does not differ according to disease severity. Thus, appropriate bronchiectasis patients should be referred to PR program regardless of disease severity