Non-Pharmacological Interventions to Improve Health Status in COPD

Health status is one of the most important outcome measures to evaluate the effects of integrated care of patients with mild to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Indeed, to improve the health status of patients with COPD has been set as one of the main goals of effective COPD management. Pharmacological treatment has been shown to reduce the deterioration of health status over time in COPD, in comparison with placebo treatment. Nevertheless, health status appears to decrease over time even though COPD patients did receive pharmacological treatments for their respiratory symptoms. Indeed, patients with COPD suffer from multiple extrapulmonary features, which in turn may result in a reduced health status. The present review will summarize the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation, nutritional interventions and of surgical interventions on the health status in the patients with COPD. Based on the present review of the literature, the authors conclude that besides optimal pharmacological interventions, management of COPD has to consist of non-pharmacological treatments, which has been shown to positively influence patient's health status. In particular, pulmonary rehabilitation programs have been shown to have positive short-term effects on health status in COPD.