Evidence for Exercise Therapy in Elderly Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objectives: The number of elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is increasing due to the extension of life expectancy and advances in pharmacotherapy. Although exercise therapy has shown to be effective in patients with RA, there is a lack of evidence specifically focusing solely on elderly patients. We aimed to review the evidence for the effects of exercise therapy on elderly patients with RA.

Design: Systematic review.

Methods: An electronic search was conducted on June 30th, 2023, in five online databases. Controlled clinical trials investigating the effects of exercise therapy on elderly patients with RA were included. No restrictions were placed on the exercise therapy or outcomes to examine the effects of exercise therapy broadly. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials and the risk of bias in non-randomized studies of interventions.

Results: Out of the 4,177 articles identified, only three studies were included. All three studies were judged to have a high or serious risk of bias. The exercise therapies in the included studies were Arthritis self-management programs, Tai Chi, and grip-strengthening exercise. Arthritis self-management programs and Tai Chi showed the positive effects, whereas grip-strengthening exercise reported no effectiveness.

Conclusions: In a few controlled clinical trials, the effects of exercise therapy on elderly patients with RA have been investigated, suggesting that the evidence on these effects is very limited. Considering that the society will continue to age, further studies on this topic are required.