THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SLOWING PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE - A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Iia Zhaharina; Yaryna  Manila; Yuliia Dubova; Aleksandra  Kłuś; Aneta Kasperska; Łukasz Kobiałkowski; Hanna Markowska; Martyna Sienicka; Alina Biletska; Valery Doroshkov

doi:10.31435/ijitss.3(51).2026.6142

Authors

Iia Zhaharina University Clinical Hospital No. 2 of Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4633-3875
Yaryna Manila University Clinical Hospital in Krakow, ul. Marii Orwid 1130-688 Kraków Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2002-3863
Yuliia Dubova Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny im. Janusza Korczaka w Słupsku, Słupsk, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9431-4439
Aleksandra Kłuś Silesian Rheumatology Center Gen. Jerzy Ziętek in Ustroń, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7419-2897
Aneta Kasperska Mazovian Bródno Hospital in Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7585-3414
Łukasz Kobiałkowski Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Fredry 10, 61-701 Poznań, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9603-5585
Hanna Markowska Samodzielny Publiczny Wielospecjalistyczny Zakład Opieki Zdrowotnej Ministerstwa Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji w Bydgoszczy, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7837-1989
Martyna Sienicka Instytut „Centrum Zdrowia Matki Polki” w Łodzi, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8164-6236
Alina Biletska Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny im. Janusza Korczaka w Słupsku, Słupsk, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9090-2721
Valery Doroshkov University Clinical Hospital No.2 of Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6163-2179

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.3(51).2026.6142

Keywords:

Physical Activity, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), Exercise Training, GFR, Mortality

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a substantial and growing global health dysfunction. The rising occurrence driven by aging populations and increasing rates of metabolic disorders. This disease causes kidney function to slowly get worse. In the early stages, there are often no symptoms, so it is usually diagnosed only after significant kidney damage has already happened. Current clinical and public health strategies prioritize early identification and risk reduction. Modifiable lifestyle factors - such as regular physical activity and effective weight management - play an important role in slowing disease progression and reducing the risk of end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. This narrative review aims to investigate the relationship between physical activity and the slowing of chronic kidney disease progression in patients. This narrative review evaluates scientific literature published over the past 25 years. Relevant data were obtained from studies indexed in the PubMed and Scopus databases. Cohort studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published in English were included. Across the analyzed studies, greater engagement in physical activity was consistently linked to lower all-cause mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. Active individuals tended to report better quality of life and exhibited a more gradual reduction in kidney function compared to those with lower activity levels, which indicates that regular physical activity is associated with improved patient prognosis. Physical activity has been consistently connected to lower death rates in people with chronic kidney disease. In addition, higher levels of physical activity relate to better quality of life and a slower rate of disease progression when compared to inactive patients.

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