The Effect of Exercise Training on Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive inflammatory disease in which inflammatory markers play an effective role in the development of this disease. In contrast, exercise training may lead to improved chronic inflammation. However, the effect of exercise training on inflammatory markers is not clearly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis is to investigate the effect of exercise training on IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10 as well as CRP in patients with MS.

A comprehensive search was conducted in the three principal databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for English and Persian articles published until December 22, 2022. To determine the effect sizes of the effect of exercise training on inflammatory markers IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and CRP, standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.

Sixteen studies involving 687 patients with MS were included in the meta-analysis. Exercise training resulted in a significant decrease in levels of IL-6 [P = 0.002, (CI: -0.14 to 0.65: -0.40)] and CRP [P = 0.02 -0.04 to 0.70 CI: -0.37], but did not lead a significant effect on the levels of TNF-α [P = 0.20, (0.14 to 0.68 CI: -) -0.27] and IL -10 [P = 0.94, (0.43 to 0.40 CI: -0.15)].

Exercise training may lead to improvement of chronic inflammation status by reducing IL-6 and CRP in patients with MS. Therefore, prescribing regular exercise may be a suitable approach for disease management in patients with MS.