P0903 Structured yoga practices significantly improve quality of life in patients with Ulcerative Colitis in clinical remission: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Ulcerative colitis (UC) significantly affects quality of life, compromising health-related well-being and life satisfaction, regardless of disease activity. There are anecdotal studies on effect of yoga in patients with ulcerative colitis. We investigated the effect of yoga on health-related quality of life and disease activity in UC patients in remission. Methods Patients with UC in remission (SCCAI <3 and fecal calprotectin<150 µg/mg) were randomly assigned to either IBD-specific yoga therapy (45 minutes/day, five days/week) or brisk walking (150 minutes/week), in addition to standard medical treatment, for 6 months. Primary outcome was the effect of yoga on quality of life using the World Health Organization Quality of Life – BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaires at 6 months. Secondary outcome was relapse rates at 6 months. Results One hundred patients were randomized with 50 in each arm and 5 were lost to follow up. Baseline clinical and demographic characteristics and WHOQOL BREF, PSS and HAM-A scores were similar. At 6 months, patients in yoga group showed significantly lower PSS (16.70±1.44 vs. 17.34±1.5, p=0.03) and anxiety scores (1.51±0.68 vs. 1.89±0.79, p=0.01) compared to walking. Yoga also significantly improved physical (71.29±2.94 vs. 69.65±3.4, p=0.014) and psychological well-being (71.55±4.28 vs. 68.34±4.77, p=0.001), with similar social scores (63.85±6.98 vs 63.47±6.68 p=0.79). One patient in each group had disease relapse. Conclusion Yoga showed greater reductions in stress and anxiety, and improved quality of life in both physical and psychological domains, compared to walking. Both groups had similar disease relapse rates. Yoga can be considered an effective ancillary intervention to improve the quality of life in patients with UC in remission. References 1.Sharma P, Poojary G, Dwivedi SN, Deepak KK. Effect of Yoga-Based Intervention in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Int J Yoga Ther. 2015 Jan 1;25(1):101–12. 2.Cramer H, Schäfer M, Schöls M, Köcke J, Elsenbruch S, Lauche R, et al. Randomised clinical trial: yoga vs written self-care advice for ulcerative colitis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2017 Jun;45(11):1379–89.