ABSTRACT
Netherlands 15.1 INTRODUCTION Chronic inflammatory diseases are characterized by persistent local and systemic inflammation as seen in Crohn’s disease (CD), cystic fibrosis (CF) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Historically, physical inactivity was prescribed as an essential component of therapy for children with chronic inflammatory disease – the rationale for which was that inflammatory conditions are best treated by rest (Bar-Or and Rowland, 2004; Eising and Soules, 1964). The evidence now demonstrates that exercise tolerance can be associated with the general health of these patients (Nixon et al., 1992; Takken et al., 2008). In fact, children with a chronic inflammatory disease are often encouraged by their physicians and physiotherapists to maintain and/or increase levels of physical activity; however, very little advice is given as to what the type, duration, or intensity of this exercise should be (The Arthritis Society of Canada, 2009). This may be attributable to the fact that to date, very few studies have examined the effect of acute exercise on inflammation in chronic inflammatory disease (Ploeger et al., 2009). In healthy children, a single bout of exercise is known to induce transient increases in the very same inflammatory markers that are pathological in chronic inflammatory disease (Timmons, 2005; Timmons et al., 2006). Much less is known about this issue in children with a chronic inflammatory disease, but a clearer understanding of exercise and inflammation in this population would help inform evidence-based exercise prescription. As such, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of two distinct, yet clinically relevant forms of acute exercise on immune cells, and to compare these responses in children with and without chronic inflammatory diseases.
