Table 1.
Preliminary patient demographic and spirometry data for both the Breathing Retraining Group (BRG) and the Subtle Touches group (STG). Eighty percent of the BRG patients and 72.2% of the STG patients had moderate/severe asthma. The BRG patients had a higher frequency of previous smoking. Both groups had high scores for panic disorder and agoraphobia, as indicated by the appropriate scales. The BRG and the STG had the same Daily Symptom Diary median scores. Subject characteristics
| Physiotherapy (BRG) N = 20 | Control (STG) N = 18 | |
| Age, yr, | ||
| Mean±SD | 44.5 ±11.5 | 41.5±12.1 |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 03 | 03 |
| Female | 17 | 15 |
| FEV1 % predicted | 68.8±21.5 | 66.5±22.0 |
| Mild asthma | 20% (04/20) | 27.8% (05/18) |
| Moderate asthma | 50% (10/20) | 50% (09/18) |
| Severe asthma | 30% (06/20) | 22.2% (04/18) |
| Current smoker | 0 | 0 |
| Past smoker | 15% (3/20) | 5.5% (1/18) |
| PD*) | 5.00 (4.00 – 6.00) | 4.00 (3.00 – 4.00) |
| Sheehan | 0.20±0.16 | 0.27±0.16 |
| AG** | 4.00 (3.00 – 4.00) | 3.00 (3.00 – 4.00) |
| DSS*** | 10.90±6.30 | 10.90±6.30 |
*
PD = Panic disorder (median). ** AG = Agoraphobia (median). *** DSS = Daily Symptom Scale (median)