What is the quality of evidence for the effects of physical activity on CKD patients?
The available literature suggests that physical activity may improve systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in CKD patients, though the evidence is of low quality. A systematic review also found very low-quality evidence supporting an association between physical activity and increased study-reported adverse events, such as pain, kidney infection, hypotension, and dizziness. Observational data also suggests there is a dose-response relationship between greater levels of physical activity and lower risk of mortality in CKD patients. However, it is difficult to differentiate between resistive and aerobic physical activity, or supervised and unsupervised physical activity programs.