2020 Volume 2 Issue 4 Pages 244-251
Aim: We retrospectively examined the effect of exercise therapy in dialysis patients receiving nutritional support, with a focus on the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI).
Subjects and Methods: A total of 26 outpatients on dialysis in our hospital were divided into the intervention group who received exercise therapy (n = 14, mean [SD] age 62.7 [7.55] years) and the non-intervention group who did not received exercise therapy (n = 12, mean [SD] age 66.3 [12.5] years). Both groups received daily nutritional support and dietary instruction from a registered dietitian and a nurse. Change in the SMI and the rate of such change over 6 months were examined in each group.
Results: The SMI increased significantly from 6.44 ± 0.94 kg/m2 to 7.06 ± 1.00 kg/m2 (p = 0.000) in the intervention group, but the change was not significant in the non-intervention group. The rate of SMI change was significantly higher in the intervention group compared with the non-intervention group (109.85 ± 7.13% vs. 99.90 ± 6.94% ; p = 0.001).
Conclusion: These results suggest that intervention involving exercise therapy and nutrition support is effective in increasing the SMI in dialysis patients.
