Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes cough, dyspnea, and lack of energy, being the third cause of death worldwide. Diaphragm training appears to be a useful and non-aggressive treatment in these patients. The objective was to analyze the existing evidence on the effects of diaphragm training on dyspnea in patients with COPD. A systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA statement. The PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Academic Search Complete, Lilacs, IBECS, CENTRAL, SciELO, and WOS databases were searched. Randomized controlled clinical trials focusing on the effect of diaphragm training on breathlessness in patients with COPD were selected. The tool proposed by Cochrane was used for the assessment of risk of bias and the quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE system. Three randomized controlled clinical trials (n = 88; age range 60 to 69 years) considered to be of low risk of bias were selected. Diaphragm training is not an effective therapy to treat dyspnea.

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