TY - JOUR T1 - Chest expansion in school-age children with mild bronchial asthma JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 40 IS - Suppl 56 SP - P1197 AU - Katerina Neumannova AU - Jakub Zatloukal AU - Jana Rydlova AU - Dana Dvorakova Y1 - 2012/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P1197.abstract N2 - IntroductionThe presence of persistent bronchial asthma (BA) is usually connected with limited chest expansion (CE) [1], but there are no reference values to express if there is a serious limitation.AimsTo evaluate an effect of a 4-week pulmonary rehabilitation programme (PRP) on CE in school-age children with mild BA.MethodsOne-hundred-and-fourteen children with BA (aged 12.0±2.6 years) were examined and recruited for the intervention group (I), which attended a 4-week PRP including respiratory physiotherapy, inhalation, physical activity training in group sessions. Two-hundred-and-eight healthy children (aged 11.9±2.0 years) were examined and assigned to the control group (C). Both groups underwent a CE assessment, which was performed with a tape cloth measure at the level of 4th intercostal space (IC) and at the level of xiphoid process (XP).ResultsCE of the I group was significantly lower at baseline compared to the C group. After the 4-week PRP a significant improvement was achieved that resulted in a presence of not significant difference between the I and C group in almost all subgroups.View this table:CE of BA and healthy childrenConclusionThe PRP led to a significant improvement of chest expansion in BA children, who had CE previously decreased.Reference:1. Lopes, E. A. et al. Assessment of muscle shortening and static posture in children with persistent asthma. Eur J Pediatr 2007; 166: 715-721.Study was supported by grants of the Palacky University – FTK_2011_010; FTK_2012:023. ER -