gms | German Medical Science

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate lasting effects of an outpatient medical rehabilitation (OMR) mainly composed of exercise therapy for patients with asbestosis [1].

Method: In the frame of a controlled study 151 male patients aged 67,0±6,0 years suffering asbestosis carried out over a period of three weeks 5 times weekly 6h at a time phase 1 of the OMR consisting of evidence-based contents of the pulmonary rehabilitation. Directly after that further therapeutic applications with the main focus on exercise therapy were applied over a period of 12 weeks one time weekly 3h at a time (phase 2). After phase 2 the rehabilitation centre led the patients into sports groups near to place of residence (phase 3) [2]. The effects of the OMR were evaluated at the beginning (T1), at the end of phase 1 (T2) and phase 2 (T3) as well as 6 (T4) and 18 months (T5) after T3.

Results/findings: Compared to T1 physical fitness (6-minute Walk Test, Hand-Force Test) as well as health-related QoL (SF-36), dyspnea (BDI/TDI) and oxygen partial pressure (pO2) were significantly improved in T2. These positive effects could be confirmed in T3. 107 patients (70,9%) were doing sports due to health regularly still 6 and 18 months after T3 and could preserve their health outcome in T4 and T5, while the effects of rehabilitation of the 44 patients breaking off any sporting activities wore off again to and even below starting condition in T1.

Discussion and conclusions: Despite a restrictive pulmonary disease specific sustainable exercise therapy seems to be able to mobilize physical reserves of performance and induce an increasing QoL as well as a higher resilience in ADL. These positive effects could be stabilized persistently by a regular training one time weekly.