Health-Related Physical Fitness in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease vs Healthy Control Subjects

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may negatively affect health-related physical fitness. However, the development of interventions to improve health-related physical fitness and thereby disease outcomes is hindered by insufficient evidence. This study compared health-related physical fitness between patients with IBD and healthy control subjects, examined associations with disease and treatment characteristics, and explored patients’ perspectives. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 105 patients with IBD and 102 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects performed validated tests for body fat (4-site skinfold thickness), cardiorespiratory fitness (steep ramp test), muscular strength (steep ramp test, 60-second sit-to-stand test, hand-held dynamometry), muscular endurance (isokinetic dynamometry), and flexibility (sit-and-reach test). Data on disease and treatment characteristics, fatigue, physical activity, and patients’ perspectives were collected. Results: Patients with IBD had higher body fat (29.5% vs 26.9%; P=.012), lower steep ramp test performance (peak work rate 4.2W/kg vs 4.8W/kg; P