Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - A Review

Among the various types of interstitial lung diseases,
idiopathicpulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common disorder and
has a poorprognosis and a limited response to pharmacological
treatment. Inpatients with IPF, functional exercise tolerance and
quality of lifehave been shown to be significantly decreased.
Current IPF guidelinessuggest only a weak recommendation for
pulmonary rehabilitation (PR).However, PR is regarded as a
reasonable choice for the majority ofpatients with IPF. This review
will summarize all of the availablestudies that have investigated
the effects of PR in patients with IPF sofar. Although only a small
number of studies have been published todate, most studies have
found significant short-term improvements infunctional exercise
capacity, quality of life, and level of perceiveddyspnea. Long-term
improvements or maintenance strategies of PR in IPFpatients have
not been adequately investigated yet. Up to now there isstill no
sufficient evidence for the recommendation of PR in IPF.However,
physical training seems to be the major component of all
PRprograms. The current review will discuss potential exercise
trainingregimens for patients with IPF and suggest additional
useful modalitiesof a specific multidisciplinary PR program for IPF
patients. Based onthe current literature and our own experience,
this article will try tohighlight the importance of PR as an
additional, beneficial therapeuticoption for patients with IPF.