Investigating The Effect Of IMT In Children And Adults With CF

Investigating the influence of an Inspiratory Muscle Training program on lung function and quality of life in children and adults with Cystic Fibrosis

The Cystic Fibrosis working group recent recommendations commended the use of physical exercise as part of a multidisciplinary therapeutic strategy, as it has been proven to lower mortality risks in patients. One nonpharmacological intervention which has shown some promising results in recent years is inspiratory muscle training (IMT), which may improve patients’ respiratory muscle and exercise function. Inspiratory muscle training, which involves breathing through a device that provides resistance when you breathe, aims to improve the strength of the lung muscles by making them work harder and therefore making them stronger. Starting IMT in children at the early years of their disease is essential in gaining early health benefits. With adults, Lands et al (1992) found that in later stages of Cystic Fibrosis it is difficult to maintain inspiratory muscle strength, therefore adults adopting IMT training at this stage could increase their muscle strength. In the past 30 years’ life expectancy in Cystic Fibrosis has increased significantly, however as age progresses lung function declines. Therefore, it is essential to determine IMT’s effectiveness in progression from childhood to adulthood. For this new generation of ageing patients, improving lung function and enhancing quality of life is a new challenge for a CF clinical care team, therefore, this potential non-pharmacological intervention warrants further investigation.