title: Exercise intervention and inflammatory markers in coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inflammatory activity plays a role in the development and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD), and exercise confers survival benefit. We performed a meta-analysis of changes in inflammatory biomarkers over the course of exercise interventions in patients with CAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Collaboration, AMED, and CINAHL for studies reporting peripheral inflammatory biomarker concentrations before and after exercise interventions of ≥ 2 weeks in patients with CAD. Data were summarized using standard mean differences (SMD) and 95% CIs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-three studies were included. Concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP; SMD -0.345, 95% CI -0.444 to -0.246, n = 1,466, P < .001), interleukin 6 (SMD -0.546, 95% CI -0.739 to -0.353, n = 280, P < .001), fibrinogen (SMD -0.638, 95% CI -0.953 to -0.323, n = 247, P < .001), and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (SMD -0.413, 95% CI -0.778 to -0.048, n = 187, P = .027) were lower postintervention. Higher total cholesterol (B = -0.328, 95% CI -0.612 to -0.043, P = .026) and higher total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratios (B = -0.250, 95% CI -0.425 to -0.076, P = .008) at baseline were associated with greater reductions in CRP. In controlled studies, follow-up concentrations of CRP (SMD -0.500, 95% CI -0.844 to -0.157, n(exercise/control) = 485/284, P = .004), and fibrinogen (SMD -0.544, 95% CI -1.058 to -0.030, n(exercise/control) = 148/100, P = .038) were lower in subjects who exercised compared with controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exercise training is associated with reduced inflammatory activity in patients with CAD. C-reactive protein and fibrinogen have provided the strongest evidence. Higher baseline CRP and adverse baseline lipid profiles predicted greater reductions in CRP.
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Swardfager
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cornish
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazereeuw
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marzolini
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sham
authors.forename: Krista L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lanctôt
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy*; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein