Introduction: Cystic fibrosis is a chronic disease which affects multiple organ systems and quality of life of individuals. Performing regular exercise in people with cystic fibrosis is recommended as an adjunction to standard care. Results of previous studies suggest that performing aerobic exercise has the potential to improve ease of sputum expectoration, improve aerobic capacity, lung function and quality of life, and that performing muscle strengthening exercises has the potential to improve muscle performance and increase muscle mass in people with cystic fibrosis. Performing an exercise program with a combination of aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening exercises could thus lead to more health benefits in people with cystic fibrosis than if they performed only one of the two mentioned exercise programs. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis was to determine, based on a review of the literature, the effects of a combination of aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening exercises in people with cystic fibrosis. Methods: The literature search was conducted in the PubMed electronic database. The following keywords and their combinations were used: cystic fibrosis AND exercise in cystic fibrosis AND aerobic exercise AND strength exercise. Results: Eight studies with different exercise programs, consisting of aerobic exercises and muscle strengthening exercises, were included in the literature review. Implementing such exercise programs in people with cystic fibrosis has been shown to be effective in improving muscle performance, lowering blood glucose, increasing insulin sensitivity and reducing the number of days of receiving intravenous antibiotics. Additionally, it has been shown to potentially contribute in improving aerobic capacity, lung function, and quality of life in people with cystic fibrosis. The implementation of exercise programs did not affect the anthropometric characteristics of the participants. Discussion and conclusion: Implementing exercise programs with a combination of aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening exercises could be effective in alleviating the health problems of people with cystic fibrosis. Future research is needed to determine the most beneficial exercise program design for specific age groups of people with cystic fibrosis.
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