Role of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

Background Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) causes profound functional limitations and poor quality of life. Advances in clearly defined therapies for PH explored other treatment options aimed at improving the outcomes. Objective The aim was to assess the role of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Patients and methods Twenty patients with PAH (based on their right-heart catheter) on stable disease-targeted medication received a 12-week rehabilitation program at the pulmonary rehabilitation center in Military chest hospital, Cairo, Egypt. Efficacy parameters [arterial blood gases (ABG), 6-min walk test (6MWT), dyspnea score according to Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, and spirometry] have been evaluated at baseline and after 12 weeks. Results The patients included in this study were 14 female patients and 6 male patients. All the twenty cases were idiopathic PAH. There was a highly statistical significant improvement after a 12-week rehabilitation program, as regards (6MWT) from 374.80 +/- 104.61 to 415.80 +/- 109.27 meters, P=0.000. Oxygen saturation (SaO(2)) (with a P<0.01) and spirometric functions as regards FVC% and FEV1 % (with P=0.010 and 0.042, respectively) had also improved. Dsypnea score had significantly improved after the rehabilitation program from 2.50 to 1.00, P=0.000. No adverse events were noted during the training sessions. Conclusion Pulmonary rehabilitation as an add-on to medical treatment may improve exercise capacity and the quality of life in patients with PAH. The 6MWT is a reliable and objective measurement of functional capacity and a good indicator of improvement in follow-up patients with PAH.