Effect of Adjuvant Yoga Therapy for Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Pediatric Population – A Scoping Review

Abstract

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRD), i.e., asthma, COPD, allergic rhinitis, and tuberculosis, account for approximately one-third of emergency hospitalizations. As a holistic therapy, yoga has the potential to improve both the physical and psychological well–being of individuals with CRD, and its popularity has expanded globally. However, studies assessing yoga’s effects have yielded inconsistent results. The scoping review adhered to the PRISMA Extension for scoping reviews, PRISMA-ScR. A protocol was registered on OSF (10.17605/OSF.IO/Q6CKN). We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, covering studies from inception till december-2024. Inclusion criteria were a pediatric population with CRD, yoga as adjuvant therapy, and English language publications. Data were extracted systematically and categorized based on publication year, author, type of study, country, disease, and intervention. We included 552 database results with 2357 patients, published between 1985 and 2023. Most studies were primarily from India ( n = 15), focused on asthma, along with two studies on cystic fibrosis and one each on pleural effusion and bronchiectasis. Study types included observational studies ( n = 10), randomized controlled trials ( n = 8), controlled trials ( n = 1), quasi-experimental studies ( n = 1), and pilot studies ( n = 2). Yoga improved pulmonary function test scores in asthma, pleural effusion, and bronchiectasis, enhancing quality of life (QOL) and psychological well-being. However, no studies were found on COPD, pneumonia, and tuberculosis in the pediatric population. Quality evidence suggests that yoga improves asthma symptoms and QOL. However, variations in yoga modules limit generalizability. Future research should develop validated disease-specific modules, including unexplored facets like Yama, Niyama, yogic counseling, and diet. Mechanistic studies with long follow-up periods are needed.