TY - JOUR T1 - Breathing retraining as a treatment modality for dysfunctional breathing in children JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - 4680 AU - Nicki Barker AU - Mark Everard Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/4680.abstract N2 - BackgroundDysfunctional breathing (DB) is a cause of significant morbidity in children. Physiotherapists currently treat the condition using breathing retraining but there is no evidence regarding the efficacy of this intervention (1).AimThe aim of this study was to investigate whether breathing retaining can improve clinical outcomes and quality of life in children with DB and whether those improvements are maintained.Methods34 children aged 7-16 years, referred to a specialist clinic with a diagnosis of DB, received breathing retraining from an experienced respiratory physiotherapist. The children and their families completed questionnaires on symptoms (using the Nijmegen questionnaire) and quality of life (using the PedsQL) prior to starting the intervention (time point 1), at completion of the intervention (time point 2) and 6 months after the completion of the intervention (time point 3).ResultsA significant difference was found in all measures between time points 1 and 2 (p<0.0001) with symptom score decreasing and quality of life (both child and parent reported) increasing. No significant difference was seen in scores between time points 2 and time points 3 (p>0.05) indicating that improvements made in both domains were maintained 6 months following completion of the intervention.ConclusionBreathing retraining offers positive benefits in terms of symptoms and quality of life to children with DB, both immediately following the completion of the intervention and up to at least six months later.1. Barker NJ, Everard ML. Getting to grips with 'dysfunctional breathing'. Pediatr Respir Rev 2014; In Press. ER -