Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Interstitial Lung Disease

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a highly disabling group of conditions including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), acute and chronic interstitial pneumonias, connective tissue diseases and sarcoidosis. People with ILD frequently experience breathlessness on exertion, which limits their ability to undertake daily activities. People with ILD report very poor quality of life due to low levels of physical functioning and vitality, and high levels of breathlessness and fatigue. There are few treatments for ILD and those that are available have limited impact on quality of life.

The aim of this study is to assess the effects of Pulmonary Rehabilitation, which consists of specialised exercise training for people with lung disease, on exercise capacity and quality of life in people with ILD. We hypothesis that exercise training will result in reduced dyspnoea, improved exercise tolerance and enhanced quality of life.

Official Title

Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Interstitial Lung Disease – a Multi-Centre, Single-Blinded Randomised Controlled Trial

Conditions

• Interstitial Lung Disease

Study Type

Interventional

Study Design

Treatment, Randomized, Single Blind, Active Control, Parallel Assignment, Safety/Efficacy Study

Further Details

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a highly disabling group of conditions including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), acute and chronic interstitial pneumonias, connective tissue diseases and sarcoidosis. People with ILD frequently experience breathlessness on exertion, which limits their ability to undertake daily activities and reduces health-related quality of life.Available treatments for ILD have proved largely ineffective, offering no improvement in survival and demonstrating only limited impact on quality of life.

• Primary Outcomes: Functional exercise capacity
• Secondary Outcomes: Maximal exercise capacity; Health-related quality of life; Dyspnoea

Study Start

March 2005

Eligibility & Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 40 Years – 90 Years
• Genders Eligible for Study: Both

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ambulant
• Stable medical therapy
• Dyspnoea on exertion following maximal treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• A history of syncope on exertion
• Too unwell to attend the hospital for exercise training
• Any other comorbidities which would prevent exercise training
• Previous Pulmonary Rehabilitation in the last 12 months

Total Enrolment

56 (expected)

Contact Details

• Anne E Holland, BAppSc, PhD +61 3 9276 3450 a.holland@alfred.org.au
• Catherine Hill, BAppSc, PhD catherine.hill@austin.org.au