The following is a summary of “Impact of wearing a surgical facemask during exercise on dyspnea in patients with chronic pulmonary infections: A randomized crossover study,” published in the DECEMBER 2023 issue of Pulmonology by Shirata, et al.
Wearing facemasks in public is widely recognized for its efficacy in preventing viral transmission. However, considering sensory qualities and emotional responses, little research has explored the impact of wearing facemasks during exercise on dyspnea in patients with chronic pulmonary infections. For a study, researchers sought to evaluate facemask-related dyspnea during exercise in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) or bronchiectasis.
A randomized crossover study involved adult patients participating in exercise sessions with (mask-on) and without (mask-off) surgical facemasks. Dyspnea dimensions, including sensory and emotional aspects, were assessed using the Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile. Statistical analyses identified factors associated with worsening scores for each dimension.
About 34 patients (mean age: 71.6 [8.6] years) were included. Mask-on exercise sessions showed significantly higher scores for the sensory dimension of dyspnea (P < 0.001), with “air hunger” being the primary descriptor. Emotional dimension scores were not significantly different. A vital capacity (VC) < 80% of the predicted value was identified as a significant risk factor for worsening sensory dimension scores when wearing masks (odds ratio: 5.5 [1.16–26.1], P = 0.038).
Patients with NTM-PD or bronchiectasis, especially those with VC <80% of the predicted value, are likely to experience the sensory dimension of dyspnea during exercise while wearing surgical facemasks.
Source: resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(23)00341-4/fulltext
