Singing Helps COPD Patients Improve their Quality-of-Life

Earlier this year I posted about the benefits of group singing for Alzheimer patients.  Now there’s a report of the benefits of individual singing on some of the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  It’s from a paper given at the meeting CHEST 2010: American College of Chest Physicians Annual Meeting.

Dyspnea, or shortage of breath, is one of the most serious symptoms of COPD.  It can prevent patients from taking part in normal daily activities.  A study at the University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois, did a 12-week study to assess the benefits of singing, if any, in COPD.

At baseline, the 31 patients had the following tests: spirometry, inspiratory and expiratory pressures, a scale assessing fatigue (Borg scale), and a recognized respiratory questionnaire score (Saint George Score).  The patients, whose average age was 69, had CPOD without other respiratory illnesses, and were in a rehabilitation phase.  They were given written advice on breathing and vocal warm-ups, and were then asked to sing a song (or songs) for 5 minutes, morning and evening.  After the 12-week study period, the tests were repeated.

Only 25 subjects completed the study.   None of the respiratory tests showed a significant difference between before and after assessments.  However, there was a statistically significant improvement in the Borg Fatigue Rating scores over the study.  This suggests a decrease in dyspnea, and is thus a clear indicator of benefit.  The singing ‘caused little inconvenience or discomfort’ to patients, so it’s certainly worth recommending.  A questioner at the meeting suggested that the singing effect might have a strong psychological component, which is why the respiratory tests were not significant.  Maybe participation in a choral group could be even more beneficial?