Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Disability in chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) represents the impact of the disease on the patient’s life. Chronic airway diseases, included but not limited to COPD, are leading this burden. Overall, the mobility-related dyspnea and the resulting decrease in exercise capacity substantially contribute to increased risk of disability, even after taking lung function impairment into account. Therefore, non-pharmacological interventions such as pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) might be particularly beneficial for these symptomatic patients to limit and to counteract the progressive loss of physical function and related problems. In this chapter we will discuss the most recent evidence related to the assessment of individual’s disability in this population, and we will describe the variety of methods used in the clinical process of care called PR. To date, PR results in substantial effectiveness when applied at the very early onset of disability in individuals suffering from CRD. Programme composition and strategies aimed at behavioural changes in the long-term appear the keys for success in the clinical practice.