Comparison of Buteyko Technique and Pursed Lip Breathing in Asthma

March 12, 2020 updated by: Riphah International University

Comparison of Buteyko Breathing Technique and Pursed Lip Breathing to Improve Pulmonary Function in Asthma

The objective of the study was to compare the effects of Buteyko breathing technique and pursed lip breathing technique in the management of asthma. A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 60 asthmatic patients randomly allocated to Buteyko technique group and pursed lip breathing group. Both the groups received 4 weeks of treatment, 3 times per week. Data was collected at base line, 2nd week and 4th week. Outcome measurements included FVC, FEV, PEFR and Asthma Control Test Questionnaire scores. Data analysis was carried out on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v.21.0. Confidence interval was kept at 95% and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Asthma is an inflammatory condition in which narrowing and swelling of the airways occur, accompanied with extra mucus production. This results in difficulty in breathing and triggers coughing, wheezing and dyspnea. In some cases asthma is a minor irritation, but on the other end of the spectrum it may interfered with activities of daily living and can even become life threatening in severe asthma attacks. According to a study conducted in Pakistan, the prevalence of asthma in adults was found to be 10.8% in adults, working in tanneries with 5.3% of them reporting their symptoms to be work related.

Non-pharmacological management of asthma includes patient education, guidance and physiotherapy. It is suggested that physical therapy may have positive effects in patients with asthma, as they possess dysfunctional breathing patterns accompanied with poor physical condition. Numerous reviews by Cochrane have been published in the recent years regarding the effects of physical therapy in patients with asthma, focusing on the effects of numerous techniques including Alexander technique, manual therapy, physical training, breathing exercises and inspiratory muscle training. In terms of specific effects of different physical therapy treatment techniques in patients with asthma, in light of the existing literature, breathing exercises have found to improve quality of life, reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and hyperventilation, and decrease respiratory rate and medication use. Moreover, inspiratory muscle training is found to improve symptoms, decrease medication use and also improve inspiratory pressure.

Buteyko technique is a specialized breathing technique developed to reduce chronic hyperinflation.

A pre and post design quasi experimental study conducted was conducted in 2014 to determine the effects of Buteyko breathing technique on asthma control and QOL in school aged children with asthma where Buteyko breathing technique group showed significant improvements terms of asthma control and quality of life.

Based upon the review of the literature, evidence is inadequate in terms of comparison of Buteyko breathing technique with pursed lip breathing technique in the management of patients with asthma except for a single randomized controlled trial. For this reason the purpose of the current study is to compare the effects of Buteyko technique with pursed lip breathing in the management of patients with asthma.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Federal
      • Islamabad, Federal, Pakistan, 44000
        • Riphah International University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients categorized as mild to moderate persistent asthma category according to the "National Asthma Education and Prevention Program"

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Use of oral steroids within the four-week run-in period,
  • Change in inhaled steroid dose and type,
  • Other significant unstable medical conditions,
  • They have undertaken Buteyko breathing technique previously.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Buteyko group
Buteyko breathing exercises
Other: Buteyko Breathing exercises
Buteyko breathing technique was performed by asking the patient to take a small breath in and then out and hold his/her breath and count the time in seconds, as long as he or she can, until first signs of air hunger start to appear, followed by normal breathing once again. This procedure was repeated 15 times, three sets of 15 repetitions were given to the patient per day, 3 days per week and the treatment was continued for 4 weeks.
Active Comparator: Pursed lip breathing
Pursed lip breathing exercises
Other: Pursed lip breathing
Pursed lip breathing was performed as nasal inspiration followed by expiratory blowing against partially closed lips. Participants received a total of 3 sets of 15 repetitions per day, 3 times a week and the treatment was continued for 4 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR)
Time Frame: After 4 weeks of intervention
Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) measured through digital spirometer. Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) measured through digital spirometer. Three zones of measurement are commonly used to interpret peak flow rates. Normal value of PEFR is (80-100%). Green zone indicates 80 to 100 percent of the usual or normal peak flow reading, yellow zone indicates 50 to 79 percent of the usual or normal peak flow readings, and red zone indicates less than 50 percent of the usual or normal peak flow readings.
After 4 weeks of intervention
Forced vital capacity (FVC)
Time Frame: After 4 weeks of intervention
Forced vital capacity (FVC) measured through digital spirometer. If the value of FVC is within 80% of the reference value, the results are considered normal.
After 4 weeks of intervention
Forced expiratory volume in 1sec (FEV1)
Time Frame: After 4 weeks of intervention
Forced expiratory volume in 1sec (FEV1) measured through digital spirometer. If the value of FEV1 is within 80% of the reference value, the results are considered normal.
After 4 weeks of intervention
FVC/FEV1
Time Frame: After 4 weeks of intervention
FVC/FEV1 measured through digital spirometer. The normal value for the FEV1/FVC ratio is 70% (and 65% in persons older than age 65).
After 4 weeks of intervention
Asthma Control Questionnaire
Time Frame: After 4 weeks of intervention
Asthma Control questionnaire is a self-reported subjective outcome measurement tool that is used to measure the sufficiency of asthma symptom control and changes in asthma symptoms. It is 5 point scale with scores ranging from 0 to 5 for each item. The greater the score of Asthma Control questionnaire, the better the prognosis and outcome.
After 4 weeks of intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 30, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 15, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

August 20, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 6, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 12, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

March 17, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 17, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 12, 2020

Last Verified

March 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/00424 Iqra Arshad Butt

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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