The effect of baseline physical activity on cardiovascular outcomes and new-onset diabetes in patients treated for hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy: the LIFE study.

Description

A sub-analysis of the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) study investigated the relationship between level of physical activity estimated at baseline and cardiovascular events in a high-risk population (n=9193) with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. A modest level of self-reported physical activity (>30 min. twice/week) in these patients followed for 4.8 years was found to significantly reduce the composite endpoint (cardiovascular death, fatal and nonfatal stroke, and fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction) (hazard ratio: 0.70, p<0.001) and its components in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 0.65, p<0.001) and new-onset diabetes (hazard ratio: 0.66, p<0.001) after adjusting for baseline age, gender, current smoking, alcohol use, race, degree of left ventricular hypertrophy, and Framingham risk score. These results emphasize the importance of moderate physical activity to prevent future risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, even in an initially high-risk population of patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy.