Impact of home-based exercise on residual kidney function in patients initiating peritoneal dialysis: A feasibility multicenter randomized controlled trial

Background Although the impact of aerobic exercise (AE) and resistance training (RT) on peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients is well established, the impact of exercise programs on residual kidney function (RKF) has not been elucidated. Methods Patients were randomly assigned to either the exercise ( n = 25) or control groups ( n = 30). Patients in the exercise group performed AE three times a week and RT twice a week at home for 24 weeks. The control group did not receive any specific intervention. The primary outcome was RKF, assessed by residual glomerular filtration rate (rGFR). Secondary outcomes included urinary protein levels, distance covered in the incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) percentages. Results Linear mixed-effects models showed no significant changes in mean rGFR between the exercise and control groups at 12 weeks (−0.40; 95% confidence interval (CI): −2.17, 1.36; p = 0.65) and at 24 weeks (0.65; 95% CI: −1.15, 2.45; p = 0.48). There was a trend toward improvement in mean urinary protein level and ISWT results, and a significant decrease in mean HbA1c percentage at 24 weeks in the exercise group (−1.07, 95% CI: −2.29, 0.15, p = 0.09; 37.7, 95% CI: −10.1, 85.5, p = 0.12; −0.57, 95% CI: −0.97, −0.18, p = 0.005, respectively) compared to the control group. Conclusion The 24-week home-based exercise program did not demonstrate beneficial effects on RKF in incident PD patients. Nonetheless, it may have an impact on reducing urinary protein levels and HbA1c percentages.