Background and rationale {6a}
chronic autoimmune lifelong diseases, moderately active disease, IBD, Crohn’s disease
INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE, ULCERATIVE COLITIS, INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE, DISEASE, COLITIS, DISEASES
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The diseases are chronic autoimmune lifelong diseases with fluctuating disease activity over time [The treatment is complex and includes medical therapy with corticosteroids, immunomodulators, biologics, and surgery, but there is no definite cure [Lower levels of physical activity have been observed in patients with IBD compared to healthy persons [This study will be a clinical interventional trial of the effect of exercise in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. We aim to investigate the effect of exercise in adult patients with moderately active disease on three categories of outcomes (1) health-related quality of life (Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ)); (2) general health status of the patients such as waist circumference, disease activity by clinical scoring systems used in IBD (Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI), Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SSCAI), blood pressure, blood lipids, and non-disease specific quality of life scores (EQ5D); and (3) explorative outcomes including biomarkers of C-reactive protein and fecal calprotectin plus different biomarkers of immunology (cytokine panel). These outcomes will be examined after 12 weeks of the exercise intervention.This study will contribute to clarify the possible effects of exercise with a properly sized clinical trial and might clarify whether exercise can benefit as a treatment addendum. The study might thus provide a new active patient disease management approach for patients with IBD.