EXERCISE TRAINING AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PATIENTS

Abstract

Aim. To evaluate the influence of exercise training on inflammatory markers and exercise tolerance in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.

Patients and methods: An overall of 54 subjects were enrolled in the present study, including 34 CAD patients (CAD group: 59.2 ± 8.2 years) and 20 healthy controls (C group: 54.2 ± 8.0 years). C reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cell (WBC), and placental growth factor (PIGF) were determined, and an exercise test was performed in both groups at baseline and once again in CAD group after a supervised 3 weeks of aerobic exercise training.

Results: At baseline, CRP, ESR and PIGF were significantly higher in CAD group compared to the C group (p=0.038, p=0.019 and p=0.002), while exercise capacity was significantly higher in C group (p˂0.01). After 3 weeks of exercise training, CRP, ESR, WBC count and PIGF significantly decreased (p=0.048, p˂0.001, p=0.002 and p˂0.001 respectively), while exercise capacity significantly increased (p˂0.001) in CAD group. In CAD group CRP decrease significantly correlated with WBC and PIGF decrease (r=0.816, p=0.002 and r=0.988, p˂0.001), as well as with exercise capacity increase (r=0.834, p˂0.001). Also, WBC decrease significantly correlated both with PIGF decrease (r=0.768, p˂0.001) and exercise capacity increase (r=0.548, p=0.012), while PIGF decrease significantly correlated with exercise capacity increase (r=0.548, p=0.013).

Conclusion: Residential exercise training in CAD patients reduces inflammation, expressed through a significant decrease in CRP, ESR, WBC count and PIGF levels. Those positive changes in inflammatory markers are associated with significant improvement in exercise capacity.