The Efficacy of Exercise Therapy in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Evaluating the Efficacy of Eight-week Combined Aerobic and Resistance Exercise on Clinical and Laboratory Findings and Quality of Life in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Randomised Controlled Trial

this study aims to determine the effect of 8 weeks of exercise on the quality of life and muscle strength of patients with IBD. Patients will be randomized into 1) Intervention group: doing aerobic and resistance exercise according to physiotherapist prescription and 2) Control group: usual medical care. Both groups will continue their medications prescribed by the Gastroenterologist. After 8 weeks patients come back to the hospital for reevaluation of measured indices. The primary outcome of this study is the patient quality of life assessed by the IBDQ questionnaire. Other outcomes that will be evaluated before and after 8 weeks are muscle strength measured by a dynamometer and laboratory markers such as ESR and CRP and tool calprotectin. Also, disease activity using partial mayo score and Harvey Bradshaw score will be calculated and compared before and after treatment.

Inflammatory bowel disease has a huge burden both on patients and on the health system due to its chronic nature. Studies have shown a higher prevalence of sarcopenia, a condition in which muscle mass and strength decreases, in patients with IBD compared to age and sex-matched healthy individuals. Patients with IBD are physically less active than the normal population according to a couple of researches. There has been a growing interest to evaluate the effect of exercise on the quality of life and disease severity of IBD patients in recent years.

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of combined aerobic and resistance exercise on quality of life, physical function, muscle strength, disease activity, and laboratory markers in patients with established IBD.

The researchers will invite 56 patients to the Imam Khomeini hospital complex, Tehran, Iran. All patients will be enrolled after taking informed consent. Interventions will be conducted with the coordination of the patient's physician. Patients will be randomized to the intervention or control group. Outcome measurements will be evaluated immediately before and after the interventions (8 weeks period)

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with IBD (UC or Chron's) confirmed by colonoscopy and pathology
2. Be able to read and write in Farsi
3. Be able to participate to exercise therapy program.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with PSC
2. Patients with cirrhosis
3. Patients with colon cancer
4. Patients on corticosteroid treatment
5. Patients' dissatisfaction to continue the study for any reason
6. Patients who exercise on a daily routine (more than 30 minutes per day)
7. Patients having any contraindication for exercise training.