The Effects of Physical Activity on the Signs and Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Kryzsko Commons Ballroom

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: The aim of this meta-analysis is to examine the effects of physical activity 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 meta-analyzed. The reported data from the seven included articles were standardized in order to compare dependent variables using 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 which resulted in a low risk of heterogeneity of 0.00% (I2) and an effect size of 0.02 and 95% confidence interval of – 0.66 to 0.70 (p=0.96). Biomarkers were pooled, standardized, and compared, resulting in heterogeneity of 37.82% (I2) and an effect size of 0.01 with 95% confidence interval of –1.39 to 1.42 (p=0.98). Conclusions: These results suggest that exercise does not decrease the signs and symptoms in IBD patients.