Effect of Buteyko breathing technique on clinical and functional parameters in adult patients with asthma: a randomized, controlled study

The established therapy of asthma might be supported by additional non-pharmaceutical measures, such as the Buteyko breathing technique (BBT); however, the available data are mixed. To clarify the effects of BBT in patients with asthma, we investigated whether it led to clinical improvements with correlation to functional parameters. Using a randomized, controlled design, we studied two groups (n = 30 each) of patients with asthma under either BBT or usual therapy (UT) w/o BBT over a period of 3 months. The primary outcome comprised the voluntary control pause (CP) after 3 months, secondary outcomes an additional breathhold parameter, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV ), capnovolumetry, exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and Nijmegen Questionnaire (NQ), and the use of medication (β -agonists; inhaled corticosteroids, ICS). CP showed significant time-by-group interaction [F(1,58.09) = 28.70, p