Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity cardioprotective in lupus patients

Physical activities (PA) of moderate-to-vigorous intensity confer protection against cardiovascular risk factors in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a study has found.

Researchers measured time in sedentary behaviour, light PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in 100 SLE patients (mean age, 52.4 years; 92 percent female) who were free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) using accelerometry. They also assessed cardiovascular risk factors were measured, including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, fasting glucose and lipid profile.

Accelerometer data showed that the mean total sedentary time was 10 hours/day, and the time spent in MVPA was low at a mean of 33.2 minutes/day. Only 11 participants met current PA recommendations (≥150 MVPA minutes/week in ≥10-minute bouts).

The 10-year risk of CVD (estimated using the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association risk assessment tool) was low in the majority of patients (80 percent), intermediate in 14 patients and high in six patients.

Isotemporal substitution models revealed that when 10 minutes of sedentary behaviour were reallocated to MVPA, there were significant reductions observed in systolic (β, –2.15 mm Hg; p=0.01) and diastolic blood pressure (β, –1.56 mm Hg; p=0.01), as well as in estimated 10-year CVD risk (relative rate [RR], 0.81, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.70–0.93).

Furthermore, time reallocation from light PA to MVPA led to lower diastolic blood pressure (β, –1.45 mm Hg; p=0.01) and 10-year CVD risk estimates (RR, 0.80, 95 percent CI, 0.69–0.94).

In light of the findings, PA interventions should address suboptimal MVPA levels to improve cardiovascular risk in the SLE population, according to the researchers.