TY - JOUR T1 - Exercise, infection and rheumatic diseases: what do we know? JF - RMD Open JO - RMD Open DO - 10.1136/rmdopen-2021-001644 VL - 7 IS - 2 SP - e001644 AU - Leonard Calabrese AU - David C Nieman Y1 - 2021/05/01 UR - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/7/2/e001644.abstract N2 - In recent years, there has been an increased focus on physical activity, a general term referring to bodily movement resulting in energy expenditure, and exercise, a form of physical activity which is structured, repetitive with an objective of promoting physical fitness for patients with rheumatic diseases. Guidelines for physical activity have been developed to promote health benefits from physical activity in the general population by the World Health Organization (WHO)1 and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),2 and by the EULAR for people with inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis.3WHO, HHS and EULAR physical activity guidelines are consistent in recommending that adults should (1) move more and sit less throughout the day; (2) aim for at least 150–300 min a week of moderate-intensity or 75–150 min a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; (3) engage in whole body muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week. These guidelines also support that additional health benefits are experienced by engaging in physical activity beyond the equivalent of 300 min of moderate-intensity physical activity a week. Patients with rheumatic diseases have much to gain by following these guidelines, especially in light of data indicating that they are less active compared with healthy controls.3 4The physiological and health benefits of regular physical activity are numerous and have well-documented effects on aerobic capacity, strength and function, mental health, the ageing process, obesity, metabolic syndrome, risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cancer and cardiovascular disease, arthritis and bone and joint health.2 5 6 A recent focus has been to ‘move more and sit less’ due to the increasing awareness that the avoidance of sedentary behaviour is critical for long term health.2 7 8 Federal exercise guidelines now emphasise that exercise does not have to be prolonged to … ER -