Sport an der Dialyse – Verbesserung der Leistungsfähigkeit und Lebensqualität bei Kindern und Jugendlichen

About 150-200 children and adolescents in Germany with end-stage renal disease need a renal replacement therapy. The dialysis treatment is both exhausting and time-consuming. Via a pilot study, we currently examine the feasibility and the tolerance of an intradialytic bicycle ergometer training for children and adolescents on maintenance hemodialysis. We first examine the negative impact of hemodialysis per se on the patient's endurance. Furthermore, we analyze the possible enhancement of endurance and, more importantly, an increase in quality of life by the bicycle ergometer training. Despite the currently small sample size (n = 5, study ongoing), we recognized a trend towards better dialysis efficacy measured as single pool Kt/V. Besides the effects mentioned above, dialysis tolerance seems to be better and the timidity of movement during hemodialysis decreased in both patients and dialysis staff.