Exercise Training and Inflammatory Markers in Coronary Artery Disease Patients

 

Marina Deljanin Ilić^1,2, Gordana Kocić³, Gordana Lazarević⁴, Dejan Simonović¹,
Milovan Stojanović^1,2, Stevan Ilić⁵, Branka Đorđević³, Dejan Petrović^1,2, Sanja Stojanović¹

 

¹Institute for treatment and rehabilitation „Niška Banja“, Niš, Serbia
²University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Niš, Serbia
³Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Niš, Serbia
⁴Clinic for Cardiovascular Diseases, University Clinical Center Niš, Serbia
⁵Clinic for Cardiovascular Diseases Cardio Point, Niš, Serbia

 

SUMMARY

 

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

Patients and methods. A total 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 the supervised 3 weeks of aerobic exercise training.

Results. At baseline, CRP, ESR and PIGF were significantly higher in the CAD group compared to the C group (p = 0.038, p = 0.019 and p = 0.002), while exercise capacity was significantly higher in the 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 the CAD group. In the 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.

 

Keywords: exercise, inflammatory markers, coronary artery disease

 

Corresponding author:

Milovan Stojanović

e-mail: milovanstojanovic1987@gmail.com