S. Deguire et al., BREATHING RETRAINING - A 3-YEAR FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF TREATMENT FOR HYPERVENTILATION-SYNDROME AND ASSOCIATED FUNCTIONAL CARDIAC SYMPTOMS, Biofeedback and self-regulation, 21(2), 1996, pp. 191-198
This study was designed to evaluate the long-term effects of paced dia
phragmatic breathing on subjects who reported functional cardiac sympt
oms and who also demonstrated associated signs of hyperventilation syn
drome. Subjects were a representative sample composed of 10 out of the
original 41 subjects who had participated three years previously in a
study designed to evaluate the short-term effects of breathing retrai
ning on functional cardiac symptoms and respiratory parameters (respir
atory rate and end-tidal carbon dioxide). The results of this follow-u
p study indicate that breathing retraining had lasting effects on both
respiratory parameters measured. Subjects evidenced significantly hig
her end-tidal carbon dioxide levels and lower respiratory rates when c
ompared to pretreatment levels measured three years earlier. Subjects
also continued to report a decrease in the frequency of functional car
diac symptoms when compared to pretreatment levels. We conclude that b
reathing retraining has lasting effects on respiratory physiology and
is highly correlated with a reduction in reported functional cardiac s
ymptoms.