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Changes in leisure-time physical activity influence mortality risk in CAD
Leisure-time physical activity is an independent risk factor for cardiac death in patients with stable CAD, and even minor changes in activity influenced risk, published data show.
“Physical activity is a core component of primary and secondary prevention of CAD reducing cardiac mortality and improving quality of life in a cost-effective manner,” Minna Lahtinen, MSc, of the Medical Research Center Oulu at Oulu University Hospital and the University of Oulu, Finland, and colleagues wrote. “However, many studies assessing the association between leisure-time physical activity and health outcome suffer from lack of re-assessment of [leisure-time physical activity] during the follow-up that may result in underestimation of the prognostic significance of [leisure-time physical activity].”
Lahtinen and colleagues analyzed data from 1,746 patients with angiographically documented CAD who were assessed for lifestyle factors, including leisure-time physical activity, at baseline and at 2-year follow-up. Leisure-time physical activity was categorized as inactive, irregularly active, active and highly active. Patients were then followed up for mortality for a median of 4.5 years.
During follow-up, 3.9% of participants died from cardiac causes.
Compared with those who remained at least irregularly active (n = 1,351) during the first 2 years of study, those who remained inactive (n = 114) had an increased risk for cardiac death (OR = 7.6; 95% CI, 4.2-13.6). Additionally, those who became inactive during the first 2 years of follow-up (n = 228) also had an increased risk for death (OR = 3.7; 95% CI, 2.1-6.7).
After adjustments for CV risk factors, both those who remained inactive (OR = 4.9; 95% CI, 2.4-9.8) and those who became inactive (OR = 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3-4.5) had increased risk for cardiac death.
“Even minor changes in [leisure-time physical activity] over 2 years were related to the subsequent cardiac mortality independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular events partly explaining observed changes in [leisure-time physical activity],” the researchers wrote. by Cassie Homer
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.