leisure-time physical activity impact on quality of life, anxiety, depression, and clinical intensity of pemphigus vulgaris

Background: currently, physical activity serves as a preventive approach to reduce the side effects of medical conditions and mental disorders, as well as to enhance public health.objectives: this study aims to explore the impact of physical activities on depression, anxiety, quality of life (qol), and the severity of clinical symptoms in patients with pemphigus vulgaris (pv). methods: this study was conducted as an experimental investigation on patients with pv who were referred to razi hospital in tehran. a total of 76 patients were selected as the statistical sample and were randomly divided into 2 equal groups: an intervention group and a control group. the intervention involved engaging in recreational walking in a park for 60 minutes every other day, for three sessions a week, over a period of 8 weeks. results: the intervention group showed improved qol compared to the control group after 8 weeks (p-value = 0.045, 5.2 ± 2.97 vs. 7.5 ± 6.45); (p-value = 0.066, 4.97 ± 1.89 vs. 6.1 ± 4). additionally, there was a noticeable reduction in anxiety levels in the intervention group compared to the control group after 8 weeks (6.92 ± 4.7 vs. 9.31 ± 4.97, p-value = 0.03). however, there was no significant difference in depression and the severity of symptoms between the 2 groups over the two-month period (4.6 ± 6.03 vs. 4.3 ± 7.78, p-value = 0.067). nonetheless, significant improvements in anxiety were observed in the intervention group.