The Effect of Exercise on the Signs and Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Introduction: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) generally describes several autoimmune disorders that involve inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, including Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). An estimated 3.1 million Americans are affected by IBD. Although the inflammation caused by IBD mainly affects the gastrointestinal tract, when IBD is exacerbated, the inflammation can become systemic. Consistent exercise is theorized to reduce chronic inflammation and reduce signs and symptoms of IBD. Objective: This meta-analysis aims to examine the effects of exercise on the signs and symptoms of IBD. Methods: A literary search was conducted using Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Cinahl databases. Of the 1031 records identified, twelve articles met the inclusion criteria, with seven articles presenting data that could be metaanalyzed. The reported data from the seven included articles were standardized to compare dependent variables using the Stata17 statistical package. Pooled effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals were obtained through the random-effects model. The results were used to examine the effects of exercise on C-reactive protein (CRP), fecal calprotectin (FC), and IBD signs and symptoms related questionnaires. Results: Signs and symptoms questionnaires were standardized and compared, resulting in a low risk of heterogeneity of 0.00% (I2), an effect size of 0.02, 95% CI [–0.66 to 0.70], p=0.96. Biomarkers were pooled, standardized, and compared, resulting in heterogeneity of 0.00% (I2) and an effect size of -0.48, 95% CI [–1.60 to 1.42], p=0.40. Conclusions: These results suggest that exercise does not decrease signs and symptoms in IBD patients.