PURPOSE: To summarize the current evidence regarding the effectiveness of intradialytic exercise (IDE) on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients undergoing maintenance haemodialysis. METHODS: Five English databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect) and four Chinese databases (VIP, Wanfang, CNKI, CBM) were comprehensively searched from their inception to 18 March 2021. This study was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Two independent reviewers selected the papers and extracted the details of each study therein. Only randomized controlled trials were included. The risk of bias tool version 2.0 was used to evaluate the risk of bias of the included studies. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to pool the effect size. RESULTS: Thirty-three eligible studies with 1,481 participants were included. For the generic HRQOL, assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form survey, IDE significantly improved most domains and the physical component summary compared with the control group. Furthermore, aerobic exercise alone significantly improved more domains compared to resistance exercise, combined aerobic and resistance exercise, and other types of exercise. Regarding the kidney-specific HRQOL, IDE improved three of eleven domains, including the symptom/problem list, the effect of kidney disease, and the quality of social interaction. No significant effect was found on other domains of kidney-specific HRQOL. CONCLUSION: Intradialytic exercise could benefit patients undergoing haemodialysis in improving most domains of generic HRQOL, but the effect on most domains of kidney-specific HRQOL is insufficient.

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