Ancillary Intervention Tied to Improved Quality of Life for Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

A 12-week ancilliary yoga intervention significantly reduced disease activity and improved quality of life in patients with ulcerative colitis, according to researchers.

The single-blind, randomized, controlled trial included a total of 77 patients (75% women; 45.5 ± 11.9 years) who suffered from clinical, endoscopic and histological diagnosed ulcerative colitis for at least 12 months but were in clinical remission for at least 4 weeks but no longer than 12 months.
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Participants were randomly assigned to 12 weekly 90-minute traditional hatha yoga group sessions or a self-care group that received two evidence-based self-care books with no further instruction for use. 

Outcomes were assessed at 12 and 24 weeks via the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire. Clinically relevant improvements and normal quality of life were defined as an increase of 16 points or more and an absolute score of 170 points or more respectively.

The results showed that the yoga group had significantly improved disease-specific quality of life compared with the self-care group at both 12 and 24 weeks. At 12 weeks, 21 patients in the yoga group experienced clinically relevant improvement in quality of life compared with 12 patients in the self-care group. Likewise, 27 patients in the yoga group reached clinically relevant improvement in their quality of life at 24 weeks compared with 17 patients in the self-care group.

In addition, patients in the yoga group had lower disease activity at 24 weeks compared with the self-care group.

Serious adverse events, including colorectal cancer and acute flare up, occurred in 3 patients in the yoga group and 1 patient in the self-care group. Additionally, 7 patients in the yoga group and 8 patients in the self-care group experienced nonserious adverse events, including transient musculoskeletal pain in the yoga group, and transient ulcerative colitis symptoms without flare up.

“In conclusion, a 12-week yoga intervention induced statistically significant and clinically relevant improvements in quality of life, mental health and disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis compared to written self-care advice. The effects persisted and even increased for at least 3 months after the end of the intervention,” the researchers concluded. “Yoga can thus be discussed as a safe, acceptable and effective ancillary intervention for patients with ulcerative colitis and impaired quality of life.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Cramer H, Schäfer M, Schöls M, et al. Randomised clinical trial: yoga vs written self-care advice for ulcerative colitis [published online April 5, 2017]. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. doi:10.1111/apt.14062.