Journal of rehabilitation research and development
-
Comparative Study
Comparison of breathing patterns during exercise in patients with obstructive and restrictive ventilatory abnormalities.
Patients with obstructive and restrictive ventilatory abnormalities suffer from exercise intolerance and dyspnea. Breathing pattern components (volume, flow, and timing) during incremental exercise may provide further insight in the role played by dynamic hyperinflation in the genesis of dyspnea. This study analyzed the breathing patterns of patients with obstructive and restrictive ventilatory abnormalities during incremental exercise. ⋯ Dyspnea scores were not significantly different. For obstructive patients, correlations were noted between T(I)/T(E), V(I)/V(E), T(I)T(TOT) and dyspnea (p < 0.05). Breathing pattern-timing components, specifically T(I)/T(E), in patients with obstructive and restrictive ventilatory abnormalities during exercise provided further insight into the pathophysiology of the two conditions and the contribution of dynamic hyperinflation to dyspnea.