The effect of exercise on left ventricular global longitudinal strain

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Exercise Physiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Traditional cardiovascular (CV) health measures improve slowly, hindering short-term exercise intervention assessment.
• Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) is a sensitive imaging biomarker for myocardial dysfunction.
• LVGLS reductions predict future CV dysfunction and mortality, making it valuable for tracking exercise effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the effect of exercise on LVGLS across diverse populations.
• To determine if LVGLS can serve as an early indicator of exercise intervention efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of 39 studies (1765 participants).
• Included studies assessed LVGLS pre- and post-exercise interventions (minimum 2 weeks) in adults (≥18 years) published from 2000 onwards.
• Calculated standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Main Results:

• A significant improvement in LVGLS was observed in populations with cardiovascular disease (SMD = 0.59; 95% CI 0.16-1.02; p = 0.01).
• No significant effect of exercise on LVGLS was found in cardiovascular risk factor or healthy populations.
• LVGLS demonstrated potential as an early biomarker in CV disease populations.

Conclusions:

• Exercise interventions lead to significant improvements in LVGLS among individuals with cardiovascular disease.
• LVGLS can be utilized as an early biomarker to assess exercise regime effectiveness in CV disease patients, preceding changes in traditional clinical measures.
• Exercise does not appear to significantly impact LVGLS in healthy individuals or those with CV risk factors.