OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of exercise training intervention in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). METHODS: Eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that recruited 588 AAA patients were extracted using 4 databases (PubMed, Embase, Wanfang Data, and Cochrane Library). Physiological and biochemistry parameters that included in this study are high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), respiratory peak oxygen uptake rate (VO2peak), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), anaerobic threshold (AT), the diameter of AAA, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Standard mean difference (SMD) was used to assess the between group effect. RESULTS: This meta-analysis was synthesized with findings from RCTs and found that hs-CRP (SMD -0.56 mg/dL; 95% CI -0.90 to 0.22; p = 0.001), VO2peak (SMD 0.4 mL/kg/min; 95% CI 0.21 to 0.60; p < 0.001), TG (SMD -0.39 mg/dL; 95% CI -0.02 to 0.77; p = 0.04), and AT (SMD 0.75 mL/kg/min; 95% CI 0.54 to 0.96; p < 0.001) were significantly improved in the exercise groups, while the size of AAA (SMD -0.15; 95% CI -0.36 to 0.06; p = 0.15), TC (SMD 0.16 mg/dL; 95% CI -0.10 to 0.42; p = 0.23), HDL/LDL ratio (SMD -0.06; 95% CI -0.32 to 0.20; p = 0.64), HDL (SMD -0.09; 95% CI -0.39 to 0.20; p = 0.54), LDL (SMD 0.08; 95% CI -0.21 to 0.38; p = 0.59), and MMP-9 (SMD -0.23 mg/dL; 95% CI -0.53 to 0.06; p = 0.12) did not differ in the exercise groups compared with the controls. CONCLUSION: Exercise intervention improved some of the CVD risk factors but not all, hs-CRP, VO2peak and AT were significantly improved after exercise intervention, while, changes of MMP-9, the size of AAA, and the overall lipids profile were not. Exercise intervention provides an additional solution for improving cardiorespiratory capacity and health status among AAA patients, and might lead to a delay of AAA progression.

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