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. 2020 Jul 9:2020:3257623.
doi: 10.1155/2020/3257623. eCollection 2020.

Effect of Exercise on Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Kui Chen  1 , Yan Tan  1 , You Lu  1 , Jiayan Wu  1 , Xueyuan Liu  1 , Yanxin Zhao  1
Affiliations

Effect of Exercise on Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Kui Chen et al. Parkinsons Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Exercise has an integral impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), yet no comprehensive and quantitative analysis has been conducted on the effect of exercise on quality of life (QoL) in these patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of exercise on overall QoL and different domains of QoL in people with PD, as well as investigating the influence of factors such as the exercise type and intervention period.

Methods: Databases, such as PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, were searched since inception to August 14, 2018 to identify randomized controlled trials that compare the effect of exercise versus no intervention on QoL in PD patients. Following the subgroup analysis, heterogeneity was further explored. The quality of eligible studies was assessed according to PRISMA guidelines.

Results: 20 studies were included with 1,143 participants in total. A meta-analysis showed a significant improvement in QoL after exercise intervention in PD patients (SMD = -0.24, 95% CI = -0.36 to -0.12, P < 0.001). A subgroup analysis of exercise types revealed significant QoL improvement with aerobic exercise, martial arts, and dance, but not anaerobic exercise and combined exercise. Interventions lasting 12 weeks or longer improved QoL significantly.

Conclusions: Exercise interventions, especially aerobic exercise, dance, and Tai Chi, significantly improve QoL in PD patients. At least 12 weeks of exercise is needed to bring about significant benefits.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart for the systematic review and meta-analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of exercise intervention on overall quality of life in PD patients. The black diamond represents the standardized mean difference (SMD) for each trial with the arms reflecting 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The x axis scale indicates the range of 95% CIs of the trials. The size of the shaded box reflects the relative weight of each study. The unfilled diamond represents the overall SMD of the trials, and its width represents the confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of exercise intervention on eight domains of quality of life in PD patients.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Subgroup analysis according to exercise types.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Subgroup analysis according to intervention period.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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