Evaluation of the Effect of Breathing Exercises on Respiratory Symptoms in Patients with Covid-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study

Dyspnea and respiratory problems are the most common complications of the covid-19 disease. On the other hand, an effective solution to reduce respiratory complications and prevent weakness caused by hospitalization is respiratory rehabilitation. Therefore, this study was conducted in order to determine the effect of breathing exercises on the respiratory symptoms of patients with covid-19.

The present study was a randomized clinical trial study that was conducted on 72 patients with covid-19 after being discharged from the hospital. Patients were randomly assigned into two intervention groups (36 individuals) and a control (36 individuals). The intervention group received a booklet of breathing exercises and training on how to perform diaphragmatic breathing and lip bud breathing through WhatsApp software. For a period of six weeks, telephone follow-up was done twice a week (in the first four weeks) and once a week (in the second two weeks) to perform breathing exercises and to receive a self-reporting checklist of breathing exercises. The control group received routine care and education after discharge. Demographic information questionnaires and the Borg Dyspnea Scale were used to collect data. Two groups completed the data before and after the end of the intervention.

Findings revealed that the mean and standard deviation of the severity of dyspnea before the intervention in the intervention group was 4.61±0.9 and in the control group was 4.14 ± 0.83. After the intervention, it was 2.47±0.56 in the intervention group and 3.67±0.75 in the control group, which shows a decrease in shortness of breath with an average difference of 2.13 between the two groups. Therefore, the effect of breathing exercises on the improvement of respiratory symptoms was statistically significant (P < 0.001). 

Breathing exercises play an important role in improving the rate of dyspnea in discharged patients with covid-19. Therefore, it is recommended to teach breathing exercises before discharge to patients with covid-19.