Yoga for asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Although yoga is frequently used by patients with asthma, its efficacy in alleviating asthma remains unclear. Objective To systematically assess and meta-analyze the available data on efficacy and safety of yoga in alleviating asthma. Methods MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, CAM-Quest, CAMbase, and IndMED were searched through January 2014. Randomized controlled trials of yoga for patients with asthma were included if they assessed asthma control, symptoms, quality of life, and/or pulmonary function. For each outcome, standardized mean differences (SMDs) or risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool. Results Fourteen randomized controlled trials with 824 patients were included. Evidence for effects of yoga compared with usual care was found for asthma control (RR, 10.64; 95% CI, 1.98 to 57.19; P =.006), asthma symptoms (SMD, -0.37; 95% CI, -0.55 to -0.19; P