An eight-weeks cardiac rehabilitation program in patients with coronary artery diseases: Effects on chronic low-grade inflammation and cardiometabolic risk factors

Exercise-based rehabilitation is an important and effective part of comprehensive care of patients with heart diseases, which in addition to controlling the disease, declines its progression and improves its symptoms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of 8 weeks cardiac rehabilitation program on cardiometabolic risk factors and serum levels of C-reactive protein in patients with coronary artery diseases.
This quasi-experimental was conducted in 2015. In all 30 patients with coronary artery diseases (15 patients in experimental group and 15 patients in control group) were entered into the study. The experimental group received 24 sessions of cardiac rehabilitation program according to their health condition. The control group only received the usual care. Serum C-reactive protein levels (immunoturbidimetric method), body mass index and metabolic parameters (enzymatic method) were assessed before and after the intervention.
Overall 80% of participants were men and their mean age was 56.4±6.1 years. After an 8-weeks cardiac rehabilitation program, body mass index (P= 0.02), systolic blood pressure (P= 0.01), total cholesterol (P= 0.04), triglycerides (P= 0.02) and LDL-cholesterol (P= 0.03) were significantly decreased in intervention group. Cardiorespiratory fitness (Vo2max) increased significantly in the exercise group after the 8-weeks rehabilitation program (P= 0.01). In contrast, C-reactive protein concentrations did not change significantly in response to cardiac rehabilitation program (P= 0.28).
The study findings demonstrated that the 8 weeks cardiac rehabilitation program could improve cardiometabolic risk factors in patients coronary artery diseases without change in concentrations of C-reactive protein.