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Exacerbation level predicts disease severity, physical activity levels in patients with cystic fibrosis

Patients with cystic fibrosis with more than two exacerbations per year were more likely to have an advanced disease state and less physical activity than patients with fewer exacerbations, according to recent research.

“This study adds to the mounting evidence that, in clinical practice, we should recommend the benefits of keeping an active lifestyle that does not require huge effort and can be incorporated into daily life easily, especially for patients who are known to have frequent exacerbations,” Daniela Savi, MD, from the department of pediatrics and pediatric neurology at the Cystic Fibrosis Center, Sapienza University of Rome in Rome, Italy, and colleagues wrote. “These findings strengthen the evidence to support the development of different strategies to promote regular physical exercise in women with [cystic fibrosis] CF.”

Savi and colleagues enrolled 60 patients with CF aged older than 18 years between 2012 and 2014 and grouped them according to the number of exacerbations per year. To monitor their daily activity, researchers instructed patients to wear a multi-sensor armband for 5 days every week and continue their normal daily activity. The intensity of the activity was measured in metabolic equivalents (METs), with 3 to 4.8 METs representing mild activity, 4.8 to 7.2 METs representing moderate activity and more than 7.2 METs representing vigorous activity.

The researchers found that patients with more than two exacerbations per year spent less time being physically active, which was indicated by an overall reduced energy expenditure (P = .03) and by fewer mild activity METs (P = .01), according to the abstract. They found no significant association between physical activity and the previous year’s exacerbation frequency.

Factors such as physical activity at moderate intensity and physical activity at a vigorous intensity also were associated with sex (P = .007) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second percentage (P = .04); specifically, the overall energy expenditure (P = .01) and vigorous activity levels (P = .01) of women in the study were reduced compared with the men in the study. – by Jeff Craven

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.