RESEARCH - Cardiorespiratory aerobic exercise may be helpful in RA

[Guest guest]

Cardiorespiratory Aerobic Exercise May Be Helpful in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Medscape.com

Laurie Barclay, MD

June 30, 2010 — Cardiorespiratory aerobic exercise may be safe and

modestly beneficial in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA),

according to the results of a meta-analysis of randomized controlled

trials (RCTs) reported in the July issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

" Several lines of evidence have emphasized an improvement in aerobic

capacity and muscle strength after physical exercise programs in ...RA

patients, " write Athan Baillet, MS, from University of Grenoble

Medical School in Grenoble, France, and colleagues. " Our objective was

to evaluate the efficacy of aerobic exercises in RA on quality of

life, function, and clinical and radiological outcomes by a systematic

literature review and a meta-analysis. "

The reviewers searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases up to

July 2009, as well as abstracts presented in the past 5 years at

rheumatology scientific meetings, for RCTs of aerobic exercises vs

nonaerobic interventions in patients with RA. Study endpoints included

postintervention quality of life, Health Assessment Questionnaire

(HAQ) evaluation of function, pain measured with a visual analog scale

(VAS), joint count, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28), and

radiologic damage.

******************************************

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/724387

Not an MD