The effect of breathing exercises on fatigue in tuberculosis patients: a randomized controlled trial

Objective:
This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of breathing exercises on fatigue in patients diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Methods:
The tuberculosis patients included in the study were divided into two groups: intervention (26) and control (28) by a program established after the power analysis. After the researcher informed the patients in the intervention group about breathing exercises, including diaphragmatic and pursed lip breathing, they were taught, and the first exercise was practiced. Then, the patients in this group did breathing exercises once a day in the morning, 3 days a week, for a total of 4 weeks, with the researcher using the online interview method. The data were collected using a questionnaire and the Piper Fatigue Scale. The total score of the Piper Fatigue Scale ranges from 0 to 10, and the higher the score, the higher the fatigue level. The Piper Fatigue Scale was repeated at the end of the fourth week in both groups.

Results:
Patients in the intervention group (88.5%) and control group (85.7%) reported that they were tired after the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The Piper Fatigue Scale total mean score of the intervention group was 8.29±1.19 before the intervention and dropped to 6.83±1.02 at the fourth week (p<0.05), whereas the Piper Fatigue Scale total mean score of the control group was 7.88±1.09 before the intervention and 7.93±1.02 at the fourth week (p>0.05).

Conclusion:
Breathing exercises done by tuberculosis patients were found to lower their levels of fatigue. Accordingly, it is recommended to benefit from breathing exercises, which are effective, inexpensive, and easy to apply in the management of fatigue.

Clinical trial registration number:
The study was registered with clinicaltrial.gov NCT05202431.


PMID: 39630726 DOI: 10.1590/1806-9282.20240888