OBJECTIVE: This study is the first meta-analysis investigating the rehabilitative effects of Wuqinxi for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Five electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI, and Wanfang) from inception until early November 2018 were searched. All randomized controlled trials (RCT) using Wuqinxi as the main intervention component were included for meta-analysis. The pooled effect sizes (Standardized mean difference, SMD) were calculated to determine the magnitude of the Wuqinxi intervention effect. Moderator analysis was only conducted for total training time. RESULTS: Overall results of the meta-analysis indicated that Wuqinxi exercise significantly improved exercise capability (SMD 1.18, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.84, e < 0.001, I2 = 84.97%), FEV1 (SMD 0.44, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.77, e < 0.001, I2 = 33.77%), FEV1% (SMD 0.59, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.93, e < 0.001, I2 = 63.79%), FEV1/FVC (SMD 0.65, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.93, e = 0.006, I2 = 44.32%) and CCQ (SMD 1.23, 95% CI 0.31 to 2.14, e = 0.01, I2 = 93.32%). CONCLUSIONS: With no occurrence of adverse event, clinicians could try to incorporate Wuqinxi exercise into their first-line rehabilitation regime for COPD patients.

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