The study, which aimed to determine the effects of a regular exercise programme, demonstrated the importance of maintaining aerobic capacity among this population, which is known to present a high cardiovascular risk
A group of researchers, including from the University of Granada (UGR), has recently presented the results of a study into patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a systemic autoimmune disease that carries a high cardiovascular risk. The conclusions show the importance of maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness or aerobic capacity, with physical exercise being the best tool to achieve this.
The project, which began in 2017, is called ‘Effects of a Physical Exercise Programme on Subclinical Arteriosclerosis and Inflammation in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus’ (EXERCITALS). It aimed to investigate the effects of a 12-week programme of progressive, individualized, and specially-adapted aerobic training on arterial stiffness and inflammation in women with this type of lupus. The effects of exercise on physical fitness and variables such as fatigue, depression, or quality of life—all of which are usually affected in these patients—were also evaluated.
Blanca Gavilán Carrera, one of the UGR researchers working on the project, explains that the study was conducted within the Internal Medicine service of the ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ University Hospital in Granada and was funded by the Department of Health of the Regional Government of Andalusia.
The study, led by the internist José Antonio Vargas Hitos, involved collaboration between experts from Sport Sciences at the Universities of Granada and Almería, such as Alberto Soriano Maldonado, and from Medicine in Granada, such as Juan Jiménez Alonso, Juan Diego Mediavilla García, and José Mario Sabio Sánchez.
Results and next steps
The main results of the project, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, indicate that the patients who took part in the exercise programme substantially increased their aerobic capacity compared to another group that was only given information about healthy lifestyle choices. Arterial stiffness and inflammation were not adversely affected, hence such a programme would constitute a safe intervention that does not negatively affect these cardiovascular risk factors.
Another publication, this time in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation, indicates that taking part in this training programme significantly reduced fatigue levels among participants, even though depressive symptoms, stress, sleep quality, or quality of life did not change substantially compared to the group that did no training. Furthermore, the increase in aerobic capacity post-exercise was found to be partially responsible for the reduction in general fatigue observed after the intervention.
Gavilán Carrera notes that previous studies related to this project also demonstrated that “although age is the main factor that causes the arteries to become hardened and increases the risk of arteriosclerosis, higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with a lower annual increase in arterial stiffness.”
“Overall, the results of this project underline how important it is for people with systemic autoimmune diseases, such as LES, to maintain cardiorespiratory fitness, and that exercise is the only tool able to achieve this—or even improve fitness levels,” explains Gavilán Carrera.
This study has, once again, been funded by the Department of Health of the Regional Government of Andalusia as a research project in the area of rare diseases, entitled «Physical Activity and Fitness as Predictors of Health in women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Cohort study with 2-year follow-up.” José Vargas Hitos remains the Principal Investigator.
In the next year or two, a follow-up study will be conducted on the patients who have participated. This will provide a better understanding of the role of physical activity and fitness as health markers in this population.
Bibliography:
Blanca Gavilán Carrera, José Antonio Vargas Hitos, Pablo Morillas de Laguno, Antonio Rosales Castillo, Sergio Sola Rodríguez, José Luis Callejas Rubio, José Mario Sabio & Alberto Soriano Maldonado (2020) ‘Effects of 12-week aerobic exercise on patient-reported outcomes in women with systemic lupus erythematosus’, Disability and Rehabilitation. Online: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2020.1808904
Alberto Soriano Maldonado, Pablo Morillas de Laguno, José Mario Sabio, Blanca Gavilán Carrera, Antonio Rosales Castillo, Cristina Montalbán Méndez, Luis Manuel Sáez Urán, José Luis Callejas Rubio & José Antonio Vargas Hitos (2018), ‘Effects of 12-week aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness, inflammation, and cardiorespiratory fitness in women with systemic LUPUS Erythematosus: Non-randomized controlled trial’, Journal of Clinical Medicine 7(12). Online: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm7120477
Media enquiries:
Blanca Gavilán Carrera
Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada
Email: bgavilan@ugr.es
