Rheumatology 2001; 40: 610-614
© 2001 British Society for Rheumatology
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The effects of exercise on the hormonal and immune systems in rheumatoid arthritis
Academic Unit for Musculoskeletal Disease, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 ORE, UK
| Introduction |
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Regular exercise has a favourable influence over many systems throughout the body [1] and improves one's sense of well-being and general fitness. Much research has been carried out on the effects of exercise on immune and hormonal parameters in healthy individuals, and a number of papers have been published on how the immune system is affected by exercise in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Very little research has been published on the endocrine response to exercise in RA. However, a number of papers have cited abnormalities of cortisol and prolactin in these patients and their effects on disease activity. The aim of this paper is to review the literature on how the immune system is affected by exercise in RA, deduce the likely effect of exercise on the hormonal system and predict its possible clinical effects.
| The immune response to exercise in health |
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Leucocytosis, which appears to be mediated initially by catecholamines and at later
| The immune response to exercise in RA |
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| The hormonal response to exercise in health |
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| Cortisol and prolactin secretion in RA |
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| The clinical effects of exercise in healthy individuals |
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| The clinical effects of exercise in RA |
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| Discussion |
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| Conclusion |
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| Notes |
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| References |
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