Cardiovascular studies have previously shown that interventions to change a person’s outlook through behavior modification may improve their chance of survival.

Now Dr Rosalind Wright and colleagues from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston have suggested that the same may be true for COPD patients.

The research team followed the respiratory progress of 670 men, most of whom were white, over a period of around eight years. Average age of participants at the beginning of the study was 63.

The men had an average of three lung evaluations over the study period and also completed a questionnaire based on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory to determine levels of optimism.

The researchers found that more optimistic men had significantly better lung function and slower rate of decline compared to more pessimistic men. The findings were maintained even after controlling for smoking status.

Dr Wright suggested that outlook influences immune system processes related to inflammation. Future studies by her team will assess the effect of outlook on the lung function of women, younger people and different races, and will determine whether quality of life and mortality are affected.

Dr Wright said, “This is the first study to show such a link specifically between optimism and improved lung function over time.

“There are differences in the way the men and women tend to internalize stress and experience emotions, so it will be interesting to see whether their outlook affects their lung function differently,” she added.

Source: American Thoracic Society
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