The effect of regular aerobic exercise on the production of hematopoietic stem cells, white blood cells and hemoglobin in patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation

Regular exercise is considered as a physiological stimulus for the release of hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of one week of aerobic training on the production of CD34+ hematopoietic cells and the amount of white blood cells and hemoglobin after autologous transplantation in leukemia patients.

In this semi-experimental study, 39 patients who were candidate for autologous stem cell transplantation referred to Taleghani Hospital were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group exercised on the treadmill with an intensity of 40-60% of the reserve heart rate for one week. But the control group did not receive any intervention. The blood sample was taken from each patient immediately after training and at the time of hospitalization and discharge.

The number of CD34+ cells increased after training in both groups (P >0.0001), But there was no significant difference between the two groups. The amount of white blood cells did not increase significantly in two groups. The amount of hemoglobin decreased significantly in both groups (P >0.05). However, at the time of discharge, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the amount of white blood cells and hemoglobin.

Although the combination of G-CSF treatment and aerobic exercise does not facilitate faster recovery of blood cells, it does not delay recovery and does not pose a risk to patients who underwent autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.