Alleviation of Dyspnea and Changes in Physical Activity Level by Blowing Air to the Face with a Fan

Abstract

Background: Dyspnea is an unpleasant subjective symptom and is associated with decreased physical activity level (PAL). Effect of blowing air toward the face has received a great deal of attention as a symptomatic therapy for dyspnea. However, little is known about the duration of its effect and its impact on PAL. Therefore, this study aimed to measure dyspnea severity and changes in dyspnea and PALs with air blasts to the face.

Methods: The trial conducted was open label, randomized, and controlled. This study included outpatients with dyspnea caused by chronic respiratory deficiency. Patients were provided a small fan and instructed to blow air toward their faces either twice a day or when having trouble breathing. Subsequently, severity of dyspnea and PALs were measured using visual analog scale (VAS) and physical activity scale for the elderly (PASE), respectively, before and after 3-week treatment. Amounts of changes in dyspnea and PALs before and after treatment were compared using analysis of covariance.

Results: Overall, 36 subjects were randomized and 34 were analyzed. Mean age was 75.4 years (26 men [76.5%] and 8 women [23.5%]). VAS score for dyspnea (standard deviation) before treatment was 33 (13.9) mm and 42 (17.5) mm in the control and intervention groups, respectively. PASE score before treatment was 78.0 (45.1) and 57.7 (38.0) in the control and intervention groups. No significant difference in changes in dyspnea severity and PAL was observed between the two groups.

Conclusions: No significant difference was observed for dyspnea and PALs in patients after blowing air toward their own faces with a small fan for 3 weeks at home. Disease variability and impact of protocol violations were high due to small number of cases. Further studies with a design focused on subject protocol adherence and measurement methods are required to understand impact of airflow on dyspnea and PAL.