Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation versus Standard Care on Exercise Capacity in Post-Tubercular Lung Disease Patients

Post-tubercular lung disease is a common cause of chronic respiratory symptoms, reduced exercise capacity, and impaired quality of life even after successful completion of anti-tuberculosis treatment. Pulmonary rehabilitation has proven benefits in other chronic respiratory diseases, but evidence in PTLD remains limited. This study is a prospective, randomized, parallel-group, non-blinded controlled trial designed to evaluate the effect of an 8-week structured pulmonary rehabilitation program compared with standard medical care in patients with post-tubercular lung disease. A total of 70 eligible patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the pulmonary rehabilitation group or the standard care group. The pulmonary rehabilitation program will include supervised aerobic training, strength training, inspiratory muscle training, flexibility and balance exercises, along with patient education and home-based exercises. The control group will receive standard pharmacological management and lifestyle advice. The primary outcome is the change in six-minute walk distance from baseline to 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes include changes in lung function parameters, quality of life scores, and assessment of sustained benefits at 12 weeks in the rehabilitation group. The study aims to generate evidence on the role of pulmonary rehabilitation in improving functional capacity and overall health status in patients with post-tubercular lung disease.