Can mountain hiking and bathing in healing waters improve balance and immune system function in older people?

Balneotherapy and Exercise for the Revitalization of a Geriatric population (BERG)

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN18092043

Enrollment

140

Registered

2018-11-21

Start date

2016-02-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2019-07-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Balance, immune system health Not Applicable

Interventions

The intervention group spent a seven-day holiday either in Bad Reichenhall (DE), Bad Wiessee (DE) or Abtenau (AT). The exercise program for the intervention groups was identical in all three regions a

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 65-85 years 2. Community-dwelling 3. Stable chronic age-associated non-immunological condition 4. Normal range of reference laboratory test results 5. Sufficient physical ability to meet the demands of the exercise program.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Cognitive impairment (Folstein Mini Mental State 200 mg/dl) 6. Malnutrition (serum albumin 4.0 mU/l) 10. Immunologically mediated chronic conditions 11. Immunodeficiency 12. Severe respiratory disorders 13. Psychiatric disorders 14. Arteriosclerotic event during 2 weeks before enrollment 15. Cardiac insufficiency 16. Malignancies and lymphoproliferative disorders 17. History of alcoholism 18. Current drug abuse 19. Currently smoking >10 cigarettes/day 20. Contraindications for balneotherapy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Static balance assessed using the MFT-S3 Check device (Bodywork, Trend Sport Trading GmbH, Großhöflein, Austria) 2. Dynamic Balance assessed using the Zebris FDM semiautomatic gait analysis mat (Zebris Medical GmbH, Germany) 3. Phagocytosis activity of monocytes and granulocytes assessed using Phagotest (BD Biosciences) 4. Senescent T-cells assessed using 9-color FACS analysis for markers CD3, CD4, CD8, CD57, KLRG1, CD27, CD28, CD45-RA and CCR7 All primary outcomes were assessed at T0-T3 (T0 = Day 0, T1 = Day 7, T2 = Day 60, T3 = Day 180).	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Static balance assessed using the MFT-S3 Check device (Bodywork, Trend Sport Trading GmbH, Großhöflein, Austria) 2. Dynamic Balance assessed using the Zebris FDM semiautomatic gait analysis mat (Zebris Medical GmbH, Germany) 3. Phagocytosis activity of monocytes and granulocytes assessed using Phagotest (BD Biosciences) 4. Senescent T-cells assessed using 9-color FACS analysis for markers CD3, CD4, CD8, CD57, KLRG1, CD27, CD28, CD45-RA and CCR7 All primary outcomes were assessed at T0-T3 (T0 = Day 0, T1 = Day 7, T2 = Day 60, T3 = Day 180).

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Body composition assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis 2. Confidence in balance assessed using Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale questionnaire 3. Depression assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale questionnaire 4. Wellbeing assessed using WHO-5 questionnaire 5. Dementia assessed using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test 6. White blood cell proportions assessed using a differential blood count 7. Hand grip measured with a digital hand grip dynamometer 8. Physical activity assessed using the German PAQ-50+ questionnaire All secondary outcomes were assessed at T0-T3 (T0 = Day 0, T1 = Day 7, T2 = Day 60, T3 = Day 180) except PAQ-50+ Questionnaire, which was assessed at T0, T2 and T3.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Body composition assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis 2. Confidence in balance assessed using Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale questionnaire 3. Depression assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale questionnaire 4. Wellbeing assessed using WHO-5 questionnaire 5. Dementia assessed using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test 6. White blood cell proportions assessed using a differential blood count 7. Hand grip measured with a digital hand grip dynamometer 8. Physical activity assessed using the German PAQ-50+ questionnaire All secondary outcomes were assessed at T0-T3 (T0 = Day 0, T1 = Day 7, T2 = Day 60, T3 = Day 180) except PAQ-50+ Questionnaire, which was assessed at T0, T2 and T3.

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Countries

Austria, Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026