Chronicheartfailureisincreasinglyprevalentworldwideandisassociatedwithsignificantmorbidityandmortality.TheCochranereviewdemonstratedthatcardiacrehabilitation(CR)resultedinimprovementsinQOLandareductioninlong-termmortality.Chronickidneydisease(CKD)isanotherworldwidepublichealthproblem.ThisreviewfocusesontheimportanceandefficacyofrehabilitationforCKDpatientsasanewtargetofCR.PatientswithCKDonhemodialysis(HD)haveahighmortalityrate,withcardiovasculardiseases,suchaschronicheartfailure.Anewsystematicreviewandmeta-analysisofrandomizedcontrolledtrialsreportedthatexercise-basedrenalrehabilitationimprovedaerobiccapacity,muscularfunctioning,cardiovascularfunction,walkingcapacity,andQOLinCKDpatientswithHD.Moreover,exercisetrainingmayhaverenalprotectiveeffects,notonlyinsomeanimalmodelsofpre-HDCKD,butalsoinpre-HDCKDpatients.Exercisetherapycouldbeaneffectiveclinicalstrategyinimprovingrenalfunction,loweringtheneedforrenalreplacementtherapy,suchasHD,andreducingrenaltransplantriskinpre-HDCKDpatients.ThisledtheMinistryofHealth,LaborandWelfareofJapantoextendrenalrehabilitationpartialcoveragetostage4pre-HDCKDpatientsforthefirsttimeintheworldin2016.
