Pulmonary rehabilitation and tuberculosis: a new approach for an old disease

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The impact on patient’s life is significant, leading to physical, mental and social deconditioning, not only in active TB but also in post TB sequela. Although with specific antituberculous treatment sputum negativity can be achieved, TB extrapulmonary symptoms such as cachexia, muscle weakness and depression may persist for a long time.

The pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) may be a useful tool in this patient’s therapy in active and also in sequela phase. The benefits of PR are: reducing symptomatology, improving the degree of functional independence and quality of life, and increasing the ability to perform daily activities. This article discusses the components of a PR programme in active TB and TB sequela, and the results obtained by studies so far.