[Exercise training can improve dyspnea among persons with COPD and IPF]. / Fysisk aktivitet kan reducera dyspné vid KOL och lungfibros.

This article presents updated data regarding exercise training among persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Persons with stable COPD and IPF can improve quality of life, physical capacity and dyspnea after a period of exercise training. Persons with COPD exacerbation can improve quality of life and physical capacity, and decrease hospital re-admissions, if they start physical activity directly after the exacerbation. Persons with stable COPD and IPF should be recommended aerobic and muscle strengthening  training. For those with balance impairments balance training is also recommended. Persons with COPD exacerbation should be recommended activities of daily living (ADL) followed by muscle strengthening training and then aerobic training in the early recovery phase. Diagnosis-specific advice includes individually tailored exercise training, physical activity recommendations, breathing techniques, and that oxygen saturation during exercise should be ≥88 percent in COPD and ≥85 percent in IPF.

'It's about me'--a narrative analysis of female smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their relationship to smoking.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive lung disease is a disease that is common among the smoking population. In Sweden, more women than men are smokers. The most effective treatment to improve the symptoms of COPD is to quit smoking but still many women continue to smoke, despite their illness. AIM: The aim of this study was to describe how a group of smoking women with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) experienced their everyday life and their relationship to smoking. METHOD: A qualitative study based on narratives from six women with COPD was conducted. The narratives focused on the women's everyday life and their relationship to smoking. The interviews were analysed into four themes and a new story, based on these themes were constructed. FINDINGS: The new story describes a woman with COPD that knows what she must do but cannot find the power within herself to take action. She talks about herself like a young bird that is going fly for the first time. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that these women need some form of individual help to find the inner strength that they lack. Their self-respect as well as their self-image needs to be boosted in order to strengthen their belief that they are going to cope without the cigarette.