Pulmonary rehabilitation is now recommended as the
standard of care for patients with chronic obstructive lung
disease.23 Exercise and self-management training, as a part
of pulmonary rehabilitation program, is a well established
and effective intervention in chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease. This leads to reduced exacerbations and subsequently
health care utilization, improved exercise capacity
and heath related quality of life.24e28 There are marked
similarities in the disease manifestations of COPD and
bronchiectasis, with both conditions having a primary
pulmonary involvement and having secondary peripheral
muscle, nutritional and health related quality of life
impairment.29 In respiratory medicine there is often
extrapolation of treatment modalities for which evidence
has been gained in one clinical condition, to another
condition. However this needs to be done with caution and
needs to be supported by good evidence. In a systematic
review in 2002, Bradley et al. concluded that there was
a need for well designed, adequately powered, randomized
controlled clinical trials to assess the benefit of adhering to
different forms of physiotherapy in bronchiectasis.