Trial reportThorax2009
Breathing exercises for asthma: a randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in Thorax, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 159 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials.Scientific reports · 2023Pooled it
- Breathing exercises for adults with asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Breathing exercises for children with asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Psychosocial factors and behavioral medicine interventions in asthma.Journal of consulting and clinical psychology · 2013Pooled it
- Breathing Exercises for Patients with Asthma in Specialist Care: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial.Annals of the American Thoracic Society · 2022Trial
- Impact of interventions targeting anxiety and depression in adults with asthma.The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma · 2022Trial
- Short-Term Effects of a Respiratory Telerehabilitation Program in Confined COVID-19 Patients in the Acute Phase: A Pilot Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Physiotherapy breathing retraining for asthma: a randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. Respiratory medicine · 2018Trial
- Trial
- Comparison between breathing and aerobic exercise on clinical control in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma: protocol of a randomized trial.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2014Trial
- The BREATHE study: Breathing REtraining for Asthma--Trial of Home Exercises. a protocol summary of a randomised controlled trial.Primary care respiratory journal : journal of the General Practice Airways Group · 2013Trial
- Breathing pattern disorder: assessment and diagnosis.ERJ open research · 2026Review
- Effects of Slow Breathing Exercises on Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Randomized Controlled Trial.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Article
- Article
- Evaluating the Role of Incentive Spirometry in Asthma Management: A Prospective Controlled Study on Spirometry and Asthma Control Test Improvements.International journal of general medicine · 2026Article
- Exploring the Diagnostic Potential of Video-Based Breathing Control Training: A Sonographic Evaluation of Abdominal Organ Measures.International journal of general medicine · 2025Article
- Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the self evaluation of breathing questionnaire (SEBQ) into Danish.European clinical respiratory journal · 2024Article
- Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature.Brain sciences · 2023Review
- Clinically relevant effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in individuals with asthma.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2022Article
- Effects of Exercise on COVID-19 Patients: A Narrative Review.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe effect of breathing modification techniques on asthma symptoms and objective disease control is uncertain.
methodsA prospective, parallel group, single-blind, randomised controlled trial comparing breathing training with asthma education (to control for non-specific effects of clinician attention) was performed. Subjects with asthma with impaired health status managed in primary care were randomised to receive three sessions of either physiotherapist-supervised breathing training (n = 94) or asthma nurse-delivered asthma education (n = 89). The main outcome was Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) score, with secondary outcomes including spirometry, bronchial hyper-responsiveness, exhaled nitric oxide, induced sputum eosinophil count and Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) and hyperventilation (Nijmegen) questionnaire scores.
resultsOne month after the intervention there were similar improvements in AQLQ scores from baseline in both groups but at 6 months there was a significant between-group difference favouring breathing training (0.38 units, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.68). At the 6-month assessment there were significant between-group differences favouring breathing training in HAD anxiety (1.1, 95% CI 0.2 to 1.9), HAD depression (0.8, 95% CI 0.1 to 1.4) and Nijmegen (3.2, 95% CI 1.0 to 5.4) scores, with trends to improved ACQ (0.2, 95% CI 0.0 to 0.4). No significant between-group differences were seen at 1 month. Breathing training was not associated with significant changes in airways physiology, inflammation or hyper-responsiveness.
conclusionBreathing training resulted in improvements in asthma-specific health status and other patient-centred measures but not in asthma pathophysiology. Such exercises may help patients whose quality of life is impaired by asthma, but they are unlikely to reduce the need for anti-inflammatory medication.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.