Impact of home-based aerobic exercise on the physical capacity of overweight patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Home-based exercise has been shown to provide benefits in terms of physical capacity in the general population, but has been scarcely investigated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Aims: To evaluate the impact of a home-based aerobic training on the cardiopulmonary and functional capacities of overweight non-dialysis-dependent patients with CKD (NDD-CKD).

Methods: Twenty-nine sedentary patients (55.1 ± 11.6 years, BMI = 31.2 ± 6.1 kg/m(2), eGFR = 26.9 ± 17.4 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) were randomly assigned to a home-based exercise group (n = 14) or to a control group (n = 15) that remained without performing exercise. Aerobic training was performed three times per week for 12 weeks. A cardiopulmonary exercise test, functional capacity and clinical parameters were evaluated.

Results: A significant increase, ranging from 8.3 to 17 %, was observed in the cardiopulmonary capacity parameters, such as maximal ventilation (p = 0.005), VO2peak (p = 0.049), ventilatory threshold (p = 0.040) and respiratory compensation point (p < 0.001), of the exercise group. A simultaneous improvement in the functional capacity tests [6-min walk test (p < 0.001), time up and go test (p < 0.001), arm curl test (p < 0.001), sit and stand test (p < 0.001), 2-min step test (p < 0.001) and back scratch test (p = 0.042)] was also found in patients who were submitted to the exercise. Exercised patients experienced a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, average 10.6 % (p < 0.001) and 9.2 % (p = 0.007), respectively, and a trend toward improved renal function (p = 0.1). No change in any parameter was found in the control group during the follow-up.

Conclusion: The home-based aerobic exercise program was feasible, safe and effective for the improvement in the cardiopulmonary and functional capacities of overweight NDD-CKD patients.