ArticleCureus2026
Effect of Speleotherapy on Dyspnea, Quality of Life, and Functional Status in Patients With Chronic Airway Diseases.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
Background Speleotherapy is a complementary non-pharmacological intervention based on exposure to the stable microclimatic conditions of natural caves. However, clinical evidence evaluating its effects on patient-reported outcomes remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of speleotherapy on dyspnea severity, quality of life, and functional status in patients with chronic airway diseases. Methods A total of 28 voluntary participants aged 18-65 years with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were evaluated in this prospective pre-post observational study. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) before and after the speleotherapy sessions. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied where appropriate, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results After speleotherapy, patients demonstrated statistically significant improvements in all evaluated domains. mMRC dyspnea scores decreased from 3.32 ± 1.31 to 1.89 ± 0.96 (p < 0.01). Total SGRQ scores improved from 63.27 ± 25.51 to 14.19 ± 9.50 (p < 0.01). SF-36 subscales revealed increased physical, emotional, and social functioning (p < 0.01 for all). Anxiety levels also significantly decreased according to the Beck scale (p < 0.05). Conclusion Speleotherapy was associated with clinically meaningful improvements in dyspnea severity, health-related quality of life, and functional status among patients with asthma and COPD. These findings suggest that cave-based microclimate therapy may serve as a supportive non-pharmacological intervention within multidisciplinary management strategies for chronic respiratory diseases.
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