Multidiscipline Treatment of Chronic Pulmonary Insufficiency

Abstract

The authors tested the assumption that a comprehensive rehabilitation program could produce significant beneficial changes in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease and determined whether such changes correlated with physiologic or psychologic factors. Twenty-one patients were studied by physiologic and psychologic methods before, immediately following, and 1 year after an intensive in-hospital rehabilitation program. Significant improvement in function was noted in some patients. This change correlated positively with psychologic factors but not with physiologic state. Patients who did well in rehabilitation began with fewer psychologic symptoms of depression, anxiety and body preoccupation and showed more improvement in these symptoms than patients who did poorly. Of particular importance were the desensitization of the fear of dyspnea and increased patient autonomy in the control of symptoms.