Effect of Speleotherapy on Dyspnea, Quality of Life, and Functional Status in Patients With Chronic Airway Diseases

Background Speleotherapy is a complementary non-pharmacological intervention based on exposure to the stable microclimatic conditions of natural caves. However, clinical evidence evaluating its effects on patient-reported outcomes remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of speleotherapy on dyspnea severity, quality of life, and functional status in patients with chronic airway diseases. Methods A total of 28 voluntary participants aged 18-65 years with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were evaluated in this prospective pre-post observational study. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale, St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) before and after the speleotherapy sessions. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied where appropriate, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results After speleotherapy, patients demonstrated statistically significant improvements in all evaluated domains. mMRC dyspnea scores decreased from 3.32 ± 1.31 to 1.89 ± 0.96 (p < 0.01). Total SGRQ scores improved from 63.27 ± 25.51 to 14.19 ± 9.50 (p < 0.01). SF-36 subscales revealed increased physical, emotional, and social functioning (p < 0.01 for all). Anxiety levels also significantly decreased according to the Beck scale (p < 0.05). Conclusion Speleotherapy was associated with clinically meaningful improvements in dyspnea severity, health-related quality of life, and functional status among patients with asthma and COPD. These findings suggest that cave-based microclimate therapy may serve as a supportive non-pharmacological intervention within multidisciplinary management strategies for chronic respiratory diseases.