| [ Summary ] |
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health issue. This review focuses on the importance and efficacy of renal rehabilitation (RR) for CKD patients. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials reported that exercise-based RR improved aerobic capacity, muscular functioning, cardiovascular function, walking capacity, and health-related quality of life in CKD patients receiving HD. Moreover, exercise training may provide renal protective effects for pre-HD CKD patients. Exercise therapy can be an effective clinical strategy to improve renal function and lower need for renal replacement therapies such as HD or renal transplants in pre-HD CKD patients. The Japanese Association of Renal Rehabilitation was established in 2011 to evaluate and promote RR. A recent decision by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Japan is to extend RR partial coverage to pre-HD CKD stage 4 patients for the first time anywhere in the world in 2016. Future randomized controlled trials should focus more on the effects of exercise training and rehabilitation programs since these subjects and exercise types have not been studied as fully as cardiovascular exercise. |