Long‐term effectiveness of an inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program for elderly COPD patients: Comparison between young‐elderly and old‐elderly groups

Abstract

Pulmonary rehabilitation is an effective treatment in terms of improving dyspnoea, exercise capacity and HRQoL in elderly COPD patients, and the benefits are almost comparable for young-elderly and old-elderly patients.

Airway obstructive diseases in older adults: From detection to treatment

“…For example, 1 study compared the effects of a 2-week inpatient rehabilitation program between patients 65 to 74 years and patients >75 years and found similar improvements in exercise capacity, dyspnea, or healthrelated quality of life. 51 Another study showed that although inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation was associated with greater improvements in walk distance in patients <60 years of age, pulmonary rehabilitation was well tolerated in older adults and resulted in significant improvements in functional capacity among elderly patients (including patients >80 years of age). 52 Finally, outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation has also been associated with significant improvements in walk distance and lung function irrespective of age.…”

Current approaches to the management of COPD

“…The benefits probably relate to a degree of deconditioning in the older adult group and benefits in terms of exercise capacity do begin to diminish at 12 months in this group. 19 Although the recent NICE COPD guidelines emphasised the importance of pulmonar y rehabilitation, access to services is by no mean universal in the UK at present.…”

Outpatient-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation for COPD: A Cost of Illness Study

“…Education and self-management intervention has been shown to reduce unplanned dependence on healthcare professionals and an overall reduction in cost [7]. Overall, the PR programs generate end results equivalent to usual care, but programs containing > or = 3 components show lower relative risks for hospitalization and healthcare resource utilization [8][9][10] in both young and elderly patients [11]. In a cost utility study based on a 6-week program, each rehabilitation program for up to 20 patients cost 12,120 GBP.…”