Chest Email Content Delivery
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Guest Access | Sign In via User Name/Password
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Free
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Article Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (4)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bruton, A.
Right arrow Articles by Holgate, S. T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bruton, A.
Right arrow Articles by Holgate, S. T.
(Chest. 2005;127:1808-1811.)
© 2005 American College of Chest Physicians

Hypocapnia and Asthma*

A Mechanism for Breathing Retraining?

Anne Bruton, PhD and Stephen T. Holgate, DSc

* From the University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, UK.

Correspondence to: Anne Bruton, PhD, School of Health Professions & Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK: e-mail: ab7{at}soton.ac.uk

There is some evidence that breathing retraining may be beneficial for patients with asthma, but the mechanism behind this benefit is still unknown. One hypothesis is that individuals can be trained to raise carbon dioxide levels and thereby reverse the bronchoconstrictive effects of hypocapnia and utilize the bronchodilatory effects of hypercapnia. This theory presupposes that individuals with asthma have lower carbon dioxide levels than the healthy population. This article reviews the available evidence supporting the hypothesis and concludes that although attractive, there is currently insufficient evidence to attribute the benefits of breathing retraining to this mechanism.

Key Words: asthma • breathing retraining • carbon dioxide • hypocapnia






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2005 by the American College of Chest Physicians.