Exercise in CKD: Why Is It important and How Should It Be Delivered?

Nutrition and Physical Activity in Older Adults with CKD: Two Sides of the Same Coin

INTRODUCTION

Nutrition and physical activity are two major issues in the management of CKD patients who are often older, have comorbidities, and are prone to malnutrition and physical inactivity, conditions that cause loss of quality of life and increase the risk of death. We performed a multidimensional assessment of nutritional status and of physical performance and activity in CKD patients on conservative therapy in order to assess the prevalence of sedentary behavior and its relationship with body composition.

METHODS

A total of 115 consecutive stable CKD patients aged 45-80 years were included in the study. They had no major skeletal, muscular, or neurological disabilities. All patients underwent a multidimensional assessment of body composition, physical activity, and exercise capacity.

RESULTS

Sedentary patients, as defined by mean daily METs <1.5, were older and differed from non-sedentary patients in terms of body composition, exercise capacity, and nutrient intake, even after adjusting for age. Average daily METs were positively associated with lean body mass, muscle strength, 6MWT performance but negatively associated with fat body mass, body mass index, and waist circumference. In addition, a sedentary lifestyle may have negative effects on free fat mass, muscle strength, and exercise capacity and may increase fat body mass. Conversely, decrease in muscle mass and/or an increase in fat mass may lead to a decrease in physical activity and exercise capacity.

CONCLUSION

There is a clear association and potential interrelationship between nutritional aspects and exercise capacity in older adults with CKD: they are really the two sides of the same coin.

Exercise, Dialysis, and Environment: A Narrative Review in an Ecological Perspective

BACKGROUND

Patient empowerment and environmental sustainability may contribute to creating efficient and resilient healthcare models. Chronic kidney diseases call for a sustainable approach aimed at improving physical function and mental health of patients and possibly contributing to the slowing down of the evolution toward the end stage of renal disease (ESRD) with a reduction of the environmental and economic impact.

SUMMARY

Multidisciplinary interventions should be implemented particularly, at the final stages when patients are exposed to sedentariness, reduced health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and the healthcare services to high costs, and participation in environmental pollution. Ecological strategies based on specific nutritional approaches, exercise, and environment should be designed and tested. In particular, the introduction to physical exercise represents a useful replacement therapy to counteract the hazards derived from the sedentary behavior of ESRD patients, with low physical function associated with poor clinical outcomes. A more active and healthy lifestyle, particularly in the natural environment, could impact HR-QoL, mental and physical well-being but also on socialization, with lower anxiety and fatigue stress levels. Otherwise, combining sustainable exercise models into the patient's daily routine can be enhanced by the biophilic design called to reproduce a natural environment in the dialysis center. Finally, the involvement of the personnel and the health professionals in properly managing the exercise interventions and the related factors (location, modality, dose, intensity, and duration) might improve the patients' participation. In particular, ecological programs should be broadly inclusive and aimed to target the lowest performing populations through minimal feasible doses of exercise.

KEY MESSAGES

Moving toward an ecological framework of lifestyle change in the very advanced stages of kidney disease, the potential synergies between environment, diet, and exercise may improve the physical and mental health of the patients and reduce the impact of dialysis.

Renal Rehabilitation: Present and Future Perspectives

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health problem. In patients with CKD, exercise endurance is decreased, especially as renal dysfunction advances. This is due to the combined effects of protein-energy wasting, uremic acidosis, and inflammatory cachexia, which lead to sarcopenia and are aggravated by a sedentary lifestyle, resulting in a progressive downward spiral of deconditioning. Renal rehabilitation (RR) is a coordinated, multifaceted intervention designed to optimize a patient's physical, psychological, and social functioning, as well as to stabilize, slow, or even reverse the progression of renal deterioration, improving exercise tolerance and preventing the onset and worsening of heart failure, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality. This review focused on the history and benefits of RR in patients with CKD. Based on current evidence, RR is an effective, feasible, and safe secondary prevention strategy in CKD. RR is a promising model for a new field of rehabilitation. Therefore, efforts to increase RR implementation rates are urgently needed.

Impacts of cognition of exercise on physical activity participation in hemodialysis patients

INTRODUCTION

Physical inactivity is a strong predictor of mortality in hemodialysis patients. Although regular physical activity reduces mortality, patients remain inactive. Comparing the cognition of exercise in hemodialysis patients with different physical activity status could highlight domains where inactive people experience heightened barriers to physical activity. We therefore assessed patients' perceived benefits and barriers to exercise using a standardized way, thereby informing future exercise interventions to address these barriers experienced by inactive patients.

METHODS

ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis were recruited and asked to complete a human activity profile, wear a pedometer for seven consecutive days, and complete the Dialysis Patient-perceived Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale (DPEBBS). Binominal Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine which benefits and barriers are associated with physical activity. This cross-sectional observational study was registered as NCT05189795.

RESULTS

A total of 505 patients completed the survey, most of whom were male (67.1%), with an average age of 49.69 ± 13.96 years. And 52.67-76.63% patients on HAP questionnaire were inactive. The co-benefits in active patients were improving mood and prevention of muscle wasting but did not reach significance in physical activity level. Tiredness, muscle fatigue, and lack of knowledge of exercise were common barriers to patients, and all have a significant impact on a patient's physical activity level.

CONCLUSIONS

For inactive patients, exercise during hemodialysis can not only improve physical activity but also reduce family burden. And improving physical activity is a long-term project that cannot be separated from the support of hemodialysis medical staff.

Role of Physical Activity in Lowering Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between the amount and intensity of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

METHODS

The study examined a cohort of 543,667 participants aged 20 years and older who participated in a health screening program from January 1, 1996, through December 31, 2017. We identified 2520 individuals undergoing dialysis or who had a kidney transplant by linking participants' encrypted personal identification with the registry for ESRD with a median follow-up of 13 years. We classified participants into 5 categories measured by metabolic equivalent of tasks. Within each category, we analyzed the effect of moderate- and vigorous-intensity LTPA in reducing risk of ESRD. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to calculate hazard ratios (HRs).

RESULTS

We observed a dose-response relationship between LTPA and the risk of ESRD. The fully active group had a 12% lower hazard of ESRD compared with the no reported LTPA group (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.80 to 0.98) adjusting for covariates including baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria. Within the same category of LTPA, vigorous-intensity exercise carried a 35% lower HR for ESRD compared with moderate-intensity exercise (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.81). The effect was observed stronger among men, younger participants, and participants with diabetes or hyperlipidemia.

CONCLUSION

Sustained LTPA (≥ 150 minutes per week), particularly with vigorous intensity, significantly lowered the ESRD risk, even among individuals with comorbidities such as diabetes or hyperlipidemia. This finding suggested that patients with no reported LTPA with cardiovascular risks should engage in more LTPA to lower their risk of ESRD.

Assessing physical activity and function in patients with chronic kidney disease: a narrative review

Physical activity potentially improves health outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and recipients of kidney transplants. Although studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of physical activity and exercise for primary and secondary prevention of non-communicable diseases, evidence for kidney patients is limited. To enlarge this evidence, valid assessment of physical activity and exercise is essential. Furthermore, CKD is associated with a decline in physical function, which may result in severe disabilities and dependencies. Assessment of physical function may help clinicians to monitor disease progression and frailty in patients receiving dialysis. The attention on physical function and physical activity has grown and new devices have been developed and (commercially) launched on the market. Therefore the aims of this review were to summarize different measures of physical function and physical activity, provide an update on measurement instruments and discuss options for easy-to-use measurement instruments for day-to-day use by CKD patients. This review demonstrates that large variation exists in the different strategies to assess physical function and activity in clinical practice and research settings. To choose the best available method, accuracy, content, preferable outcome, necessary expertise, resources and time are important issues to consider.

Effects of Exercise Training Combined with Virtual Reality in Functionality and Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients on Hemodialysis

Objective: The progression of chronic kidney disease can directly affect patient's health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Exercise training is a good option to reverse the impacts caused by the disease. To escape from the monotonous routine and stimulate further practice, the therapist should consider making physical activity more playful. Using videogames during exercise training is possible to rehabilitate the patient aiming for fun beyond the organic condition. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise training combined with Virtual Reality (VR) in functionality and HRQoL of patients on hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled study in which control group (n = 20) maintained only hemodialysis without any physical effort or intervention from the researchers and intervention group (n = 20) who performed endurance and strength physical exercises in combination with VR during hemodialysis for 12 weeks. All eligible patients underwent a familiarization of games and were evaluated by an investigator-blind for functional capacity, quality of life, and depressive symptoms. Functional capacity tests included walking speed, timed up and go (TUG), and Duke Activity Status Index (DASI). To evaluate a HRQoL, Kidney Disease and Quality-of-Life Short-Form (KDQOL-SF™, v. 1.3) was used and to investigate depressive symptoms, the Center for Epidemiological Scale-Depression. Paired sample t-tests were conducted to determine differences within each group. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (group vs. time) was used to assess group differences in our major outcomes. The level of significance was 5%. Results: The exercise improved functional capacity (TUG: P = 0.002, DASI: P < 0.001) and HRQoL in physical and specific domains: physical functioning (P = 0.047), role physical (P = 0.021), as well as in physical composite summary (P < 0.001) and effects of kidney disease (P = 0.013). There was no influence on depressive symptoms (P = 0.154). Conclusion: Physical training combined with VR improved functional capacity and some quality-of-life domains of hemodialysis patients.

Effect of exercise therapy on physical performance and functional balance in patients on maintenance renal hemodialysis: randomized controlled study

Physical performance (PP) and functional balance (FB) abnormalities are frequently encountered problems in patients on maintenance renal hemodialysis (MRH). Although the exercise therapy is an adjunctive to the routine medical care for patients with chronic kidney disease of various stages; but the benefits as well as the long-term effects of different exercises on the PP and FB in patients on MRH are not yet fully described. In this study; Sixty-six patients on MRH (36 males, 30 females), age 35–45 years, were randomly assigned into one of the three groups: aerobic exercise training group (AETG), resistance exercise training group (RETG), and control group (CG). The PP (evaluated using the 6-min walk test “6MWT”) and the FB (evaluated via the Berg balance scale “BBS”) were the main study outcomes evaluated prestudy (evaluation-1), after 3 months (evaluation-2) and 2 months poststudy cessation (evaluation-3). Results revealed that the PP and FB mean values and percentages of changes at evaluation-2 were 444.25±21.83 (33.1%), 413.57±28.55 (22.52%), 337±12.23 (0.33%) m, 50.05±0.89 (22.95%), 49.95±2.06 (22.52%), 41.28±1.75 (0.94%) for AETG, RETG, and CG respectively. At evaluation-3; the PP and FB mean values and the percentage of changes were 425±21.49 (27.36), 366.86±17.47 (8.5%), 336.68 (0.42%) m, 44.4±1.85 (8.06%), 42.95±2.04 (5.003%), 39.48±2.06 (−4.44%) for AETG, RETG, and CG respectively. In conclusions; both aerobic exercise training (AET) and resistance exercise training (RET) have favorable effects, with the AET has higher short and long-term favorable effects on the PP and FB than RET in patients on MRH.

Physical activity and screen time in adolescents in the chronic kidney disease in children (CKiD) cohort

BACKGROUND

Self-reported physical activity (PA) and screen time exposure in adolescents with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been evaluated.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of PA and screen time in 224 adolescents at entry into the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) cohort. We compared proportions of CKiD vs. healthy 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants reporting the recommended 60 min of PA 7 days/week or ≤ 2 h/day of entertainment screen time (binomial probability test). Within CKiD, we assessed correlates of PA and screen time using multivariable logistic and linear regression and examined longitudinal data for 136 participants.

RESULTS

Median age of CKiD participants was 15 years, and 60 % were male. Median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 41.3 (IQR 30.8, 52.3) ml/min/1.73 m(2). Only 13 % of CKiD participants met recommendations for PA vs. 25 % of NHANES (p < 0.001), while 98 % in CKiD exceeded the recommended screen time vs. 73 % in NHANES (p < 0.001). Within CKiD, obesity (p = 0.04) and lower eGFR (p = 0.02) were independently associated with greater screen time.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents with CKD engage in significantly less PA and greater screen time than healthy youth in the United States, and this may worsen over time.

Lower C-reactive protein and better hemodialysis survival are associated with regular exercise activity: Longitudinal outcomes from the ACTIVE-ADIPOSE special study

Introduction Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in the general population have shown that a physically active lifestyle may have anti-inflammatory properties, but evidence from studies conducted with maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients is limited. Methods A multicenter prospective cohort of 755 HD participants aged 20-92 was evaluated in a USRDS special study 2009-2013. Kilocalories/week (kcal/week) of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) was estimated from the Minnesota Leisure Time Activity questionnaire. Predialysis serum samples were obtained concurrent with LTPA report date. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) examined association of participants' LTPA and log-normalized CRP across 24 months. Cox proportional hazards models investigated LTPA and survival over a median follow-up of 718 days. Findings Baseline median CRP concentration was lower for participants with 500+ kcal/week LTPA vs. those with <500 kcal/week LTPA (3.4 mg/L vs. 4.6 mg/L; P = 0.03). Participants who reported lower LTPA (<500 kcal/week) at both baseline and 12 months had a borderline significant increase in CRP concentration (within-group change 4.8 [1.9-10.4] to 5.8 [1.6-15.7]; P = 0.08). Lower LTPA was associated with higher log CRP over 24 months in adjusted GEE analyses (β coefficient = 0.16 [95% CI 0.02-0.31]; P = 0.03). 67/364 (18%) and 43/391 (11%) deaths occurred, respectively, among participants reporting <500 vs. 500+ kcal/week LTPA [adjusted mortality hazard ratio 1.63 (CI, 1.07, 2.47)]. Discussion The data suggest that increased estimated levels of LTPA, a physical activity/exercise opportunity widely applicable to HD patients, may be associated with lower CRP concentration as well as better survival outcome.

A structured exercise programme during haemodialysis for patients with chronic kidney disease: clinical benefit and long-term adherence

OBJECTIVE

Long-term studies regarding the effect of a structured physical exercise programme (SPEP) during haemodialysis (HD) assessing compliance and clinical benefit are scarce.

STUDY DESIGN

A single-centre clinical trial, non-randomised, investigating 46 patients with HD (63.2 ± 16.3 years, male/female 24/22, dialysis vintage 4.4 years) performing an SPEP over 5 years. The SPEP (twice/week for 60 min during haemodialysis) consisted of a combined resistance (8 muscle groups) and endurance (supine bicycle ergometry) training. Exercise intensity was continuously adjusted to improvements of performance testing. Changes in endurance and resistance capacity, physical functioning and quality of life (QoL) were analysed over 1 year in addition to long-term adherence and economics of the programme over 5 years. Average power per training session, maximal strength tests (maximal exercise repetitions/min), three performance-based tests for physical function, SF36 for QoL were assessed in the beginning and every 6 months thereafter.

RESULTS

78% of the patients completed the programme after 1 year and 43% after 5 years. Participants were divided--according to adherence to the programme--into three groups: (1) high adherence group (HA, >80% of 104 training sessions within 12 months), (2) moderate adherence (MA, 60-80%), and 3. Low adherence group (LA, <60%)) with HA and MA evaluated quantitatively. One-year follow-up data revealed significant (p<0.05) improvement for both groups in all measured parameters: exercise capacity (HA: 55%, MA: 45%), strength (HA: >120%, MA: 40-50%), QoL in three scores of SF36 subscales and physical function in the three tests taken between 11% and 31%. Moreover, a quantitative correlation analysis revealed a close association (r=0.8) between large improvement of endurance capacity and weak physical condition (HA).

CONCLUSIONS

The exercise programme described improves physical function significantly and can be integrated into a HD routine with a high long-term adherence.