Home-Based Walking Exercise Program to Improve Mobility and Quality of Life in Adults With Chronic Kidney Disease and Peripheral Artery Disease

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate the effects of a home-based exercise program on people with chronic kidney disease CKD at stages III or IV who also have peripheral artery disease PAD at stages I to III. These conditions together increase cardiovascular risk and complications like mortality and limb amputations. The study focuses on improving physical function and quality of life by comparing exercise therapy to usual care in a randomized controlled trial involving 100 patients aged 18 to 80 years without contraindications to exercise. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The exercise group will follow a 6-month home walking program involving two daily 10-minute interval walking sessions at an increasing speed controlled by a digital metronome. Training intensity is light to moderate, with two hospital visits at 1 and 3 months to adjust the exercise plan and encourage adherence via a digital app. The control group will receive standard care including optimal medical treatment and nutritional advice. Patients in both groups will be assessed at the start, at 6 months when the exercise ends, and at 12 months for follow-up. Researchers will measure walking ability using the 6-minute walking test as the primary outcome, along with limb blood flow, strength, body composition, bone density, quality of life, kidney function, hospitalizations, and mortality. Assessments are done by blinded evaluators to track the effects of the intervention over time.

Exercise Activity to Improve Mobility in Patients With CKD and PAD