Bottom Line: A randomized clinical trial in Spain that included 370 hospitalized patients 75 or older showed an exercise intervention was effective at helping to reverse the functional decline associated with hospitalization for older patients. The exercise intervention, which included two daily sessions of moderate-intensity resistance, balance and walking exercises, was compared with usual care in the hospital, which included physical rehabilitation when it was needed. The exercise intervention group showed improvement on functional capacity scales at hospital discharge, as well as benefits from at the intervention on other endpoints indicative of cognitive status. Limitations of the study include not collecting functional and cognitive data before the acute illness that landed patients in the hospital.
Authors: Mikel Izquierdo, Ph.D, of the Public University of Navarra, Spain, and coauthors
Related Material: The invited commentary, "A Novel Exercise Intervention and Functional Status in Very Elderly Patients During Acute Hospitalization," by William J. Hall, M.D., M.A.C.P., of the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, New York., also is available on the For The Media website.
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To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website.
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(doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4869)
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Journal
JAMA Internal Medicine