Abstract [en]

BACKGROUND: People diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) have a lower lung function and capacity partially due to thick mucus. The declining health can also lead to a lower quality of life. AIM: The aim with this review was to find out how physical activity affects the lung function and quality of life in patients with cystic fibrosis.

METHODS: Searches in the databases Pubmed, Cochrane and Cinahl were executed to find relevant articles that brought up the connection between lung function, physical activity and quality of life.

RESULTS: With regular exercise the different variables measuring lung function and capacity can improve. Some forms of physical activity gave better results on lung capacity, while some showed bigger results on FEV1. The participants scored higher on questionnaires about quality of life after completed intervention.

CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity is positive for all patients with cystic fibrosis and should be recommended for everyone. Even when there are rare cases that show an initial decrease in health in the beginning, the positive effects will come later. A rotating schedule of different types of exercise could give the patients an over all improvement of their lung function. An increase in lung function could also lead to an increased quality of life.