title: The role of exercise in the management of rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with significant functional impairment and increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Along with pharmacological therapy, exercise seems to be a very promising intervention to improve disease-related outcomes, including functional ability and systemic manifestations, such as the increased cardiovascular risk. In this review, we discuss the physiological mechanisms by which exercise improves inflammation, cardiovascular risk and psychological health in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and describe in detail how exercise can be incorporated in the management of this disease using real examples from our clinical practice.
authors.forename: George S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Metsios
authors.affiliation: c 3 Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, University of Thessaly, Thessaly, Greece.
authors.forename: Antonis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou
authors.affiliation: b 2 Department of Rheumatology, Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, Russell's Hall Hospital, Dudley, West Midlands, UK.|d 4 School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.|e 5 Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kitas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: arthritis; cardiovascular disease; exercise; exercise as medicine; inflammation; physical activity; rheumatoid arthritis