title: Evidence for prescribing exercise as treatment in pediatric rheumatic diseases.
abstract: There has been an increasing recognition of adverse short-, mid-, or long-term effects associated with the treatment as well as the disease itself that impair the health-related quality of life and functional capacity of children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases. Interestingly, cumulative evidence has suggested that exercise training may benefit patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile dermatomyositis and juvenile fibromyalgia, attenuating several clinical symptoms related to physical disability. Remarkably, recent evidence also suggests that exercise may have direct effects on the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases by attenuating chronic low-grade systemic inflammation. It is also important to emphasize that no exercise-related adverse effects have been reported. This short review provides the evidence for physical training as a treatment of pediatric rheumatic diseases, introducing a novel concept that exercise is a treatment for these populations.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, School of Physical Education and Sports, Brazil. gualano@usp.br
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gualano
authors.forename: Ana Lucia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Sá Pinto
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Perondi
authors.forename: Danilo Marcelo
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Leite Prado
authors.forename: Clarissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Omori
authors.forename: Roberta Tavares
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Adriana Maluf Elias
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sallum
authors.forename: Clovis Artur Almeida
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy*