TaiChi and Qigong for Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background. Depression is a debilitating comorbidity of heart failure (HF) that needs assessment and management. Along with mind-body exercise to deal with HF with depression, the use of TaiChi and/or Qigong practices (TQPs) has increased. Therefore, this systematic review assesses the effects of TQPs on depression among patients with HF. Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the effect of TQPs on depression in patients with HF were searched by five databases (PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, CINAHL, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)). With standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), random-effects meta-analyses of the effect of TQPs on depressive symptoms were performed. Results. Of eight included RCTs, seven (481 patients) provided data for the meta-analysis. The pooling revealed that TQPs contribute to depression remission in HF (SMD −0.66; 95% CI −0.98 to −0.33, P < 0.0001 ; I2 = 64%). Its antidepressive effect was not influenced by intervention duration or exercise setting, but rather by ejection fraction subtype, depressive severity, and depression instruments. The beneficial effects were preserved when the study with the largest effect was removed. Conclusion. This study suggests that TQPs might be a good strategy for alleviating depressive symptoms in patients with HF. And rigorous-design RCTs, which focus on the identified research gaps, are needed to further establish the therapeutic effects of TQPs for depression in HF.

Comparative efficacy of mind‐body exercise for depression in breast cancer survivors: A systematic review and network meta‐analysis

“…The NMA results supported that Tai chi can significantly alleviate depressive symptoms among BC patients, which was consistent with other meta‐analyses (Jiang et al, 2021; Qi et al, 2022; Wang et al, 2014). The rank probability of the efficacy suggested that Tai chi (SUCRA = 76.9%) demonstrated the most comparable effects to Liuzijue (SUCRA = 95.4%) among the other MBE interventions for improving depression.…”

“…are not yet clear. The scarcity of high-quality research, as well as limitations such as short follow-up periods, restrict its application The NMA results supported that Tai chi can significantly alleviate depressive symptoms among BC patients, which was consistent with other meta-analyses (Jiang et al, 2021;Qi et al, 2022;Wang et al, 2014). The rank probability of the efficacy suggested that Tai Qi and removing blockages that can lead to poor health according to traditional Chinese medicine (Yeung et al, 2018).…”

“…Apart from that, improvements in cardiopulmonary function and sleep quality, as well as other clinical outcomes, have been observed alongside the antidepressant effects of Tai Chi (Du et al, 2015; Yang, Lee, et al, 2021). These outcomes are intertwined, and improving each one may have a positive impact on the others (Jiang et al, 2021). Meanwhile, Tai chi has gained widespread recognition worldwide among middle‐aged and elderly populations as well as those with chronic diseases due to its low intensity, low speed, suitability for a broad range of individuals, and less limitation of setting or equipment.…”

Effect of Traditional Chinese Exercises on Patients with Chronic Heart Failure (TCE-HF): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…With the increasing global popularity of TCE, it is more widely utilized in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs for HF patients. Reported benefits of TCE include improvements in clinical symptoms, QoL, exercise tolerance, cardiac function, sleep quality, and the alleviation of depressive symptoms in patients with HF [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported that left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and N-terminal pro-B natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) had no noticeable improvement within 3 months of Liuzijue exercise [ 16 ].…”

Mental Health Benefits of a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy Online Program during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Controlled Trial

“…Recent studies suggest that Taijiquan and Qigong have several mental health benefits [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. These techniques are suggested to assist in managing anxiety and depression in children and adolescents [ 18 , 24 ] as well as in patients with several health conditions such as breast cancer in women [ 20 ] or heart failure in elders [ 21 ], for example. The dimension of benefits seems to also reach other complex conditions such as autism [ 22 ] or ADHD [ 23 ].…”