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Published on: January 28, 2020
The relationship between different exercise conditions and pericoronary inflammation as quantified by coronary CTA in
Huaze Xi1,2,3,4, Mengyuan Jing1,2,3,4, Qiu Sun1,2,3,4
1Department of Radiology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China.
Insights
Short, high-intensity exercise may reduce coronary inflammation in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. However, prolonged exercise could worsen inflammation and increase CAD risk.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Exercise Physiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
- The impact of exercise type and intensity on coronary inflammation in stable CAD patients is not well understood.
- Pericoronary adipose tissue inflammation is an emerging marker for cardiovascular risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between exercise patterns, intensity, and coronary artery inflammation in patients with stable CAD.
- To quantify coronary inflammation using the pericoronary fat attenuation index (FAI) derived from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 1222 patients (448 with CAD) who underwent CCTA between 2019 and 2023.
- Calculation of the right coronary artery (RCA) pericoronary fat attenuation index (FAI) as a measure of inflammation.
- Statistical analysis, including analysis of variance and restricted cubic splines, to determine relationships between exercise and RCA-FAI.
Main Results:
- Sex, lipid profiles, hypertension, smoking, glucose levels, income, and BMI were identified as risk factors for elevated RCA-FAI in CAD patients.
- A "U"-shaped relationship was observed between exercise duration and RCA-FAI for running and aerobics.
- Short durations of high-intensity exercise were associated with lower RCA-FAI values.
Conclusions:
- RCA-FAI is a significant indicator of coronary artery inflammation.
- Appropriate physical activity can mitigate pericoronary inflammation and coronary atherosclerosis.
- Excessively prolonged exercise may intensify coronary inflammation and elevate CAD risk.
Objectives:
The correlation between exercise type and intensity and coronary artery inflammation in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) is unknown. Therefore, this study assessed the relationship between coronary inflammation quantified by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and exercise intensity and pattern in patients with CAD.
Materials And Methods:
Patients who underwent CCTA between 2019 and 2023 in the second hospital of Lanzhou University were retrospectively examined. We calculated the pericoronary fat attenuation index (FAI) on the right coronary artery (RCA) as a marker of coronary inflammation. We compared basic information, exercise status, and RCA-FAI values between the two groups, and described the relationship between different exercise durations and RCA-FAI using analysis of variance and restricted cubic splines.
Results:
In total, 1222 patients were included: 774 had no CAD and 448 patients had CAD. Sex (P = 0.016; odds ratio [OR]: 0.673), high-density lipoprotein (P = 0.006; OR: 0.601), low-density lipoprotein (P = 0.001; OR. 0.762), hypertension (P = 0.000; OR: 0.762), smoking (P = 0.005; OR: 0.670), and postprandial glucose (P = 0.030; OR: 0.812), household income (P = 0.038; OR:1.117), and body mass index (P = 0.000; OR:1.084) were the risk factors for elevated RCA-FAI values in the patients with coronary artery disease group. And when the exercise modality was running and aerobics, the correlation between RCA-FAI values and exercise time showed a "U"-shaped relationship. Follow-up revealed that short periods of high-intensity exercise resulted in lower RCA-FAI values.
Conclusion:
RCA-FAI was significantly associated with coronary artery inflammation. Although appropriate physical activity reduced the risk of pericoronary inflammation and coronary atherosclerosis, overly prolonged exercise could exacerbate the coronary inflammatory response and increase the likelihood of CAD.
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