Effects of a walking exercise programme on disease activity, sleep quality, and quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Aim: This quasi‐experimental study aimed to explore effects of walking exercise on disease activity, sleep quality, and quality of life among individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods: After recruiting people with systemic lupus erythematosus from a hospital in Taiwan between October 2020 and June 2021, participants were free to opt to receive one walking exercise programme plus standard care for 3 months or to membership of a control group receiving routine care. Primary outcomes included Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Score, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale, and a quality‐of‐life scale for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, namely, LupusQoL. These scales were administered first, at baseline and later, within 1 week following completion of the intervention. Between‐group effects were compared using generalized estimating equations with adjustment for baseline variables. Results: The experimental and control groups each included 40 participants. Multivariate analysis indicated that adding the walking exercise programme into routine care elevated sleep quality and LupusQoL (the latter in the subscales of physical health, planning, and intimate relationships), except for disease activity. Conclusion: Findings of this study supported the addition of walking exercise as part of routine care for people with systemic lupus erythematosus and may be a reference in the provision of adequate care for these patients. Summary statements: What is already known about this topic? Systemic lupus erythematosus is a lifelong autoimmune disease that affects any organs throughout the body, thus insidiously causing negative impacts on the affected patients.Today, use of exercise programmes such as walking exercise has been studied as a remedy for many medical conditions, but its effectiveness in minimizing the symptoms of distress among people with systemic lupus erythematosus is unknown. What this study adds? Participants with systemic lupus erythematosus who opt to receive the walking exercise programme for 3 months in addition to routine care experience improved sleep quality and quality of life compared with those receiving routine care alone. The implications of this paper: In accordance with the belief that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," early implementation of an exercise programme should be considered in addition to routine care for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.Evidence from this research could provide empirically informed and robust data for healthcare policymakers and in turn might help to reduce the incidence of morbidity among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]