Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global health problem. In Italy, to limit the infections, the government ordered lockdown from March 2020. This measure, designed to contain the virus, led to serious limitations on the daily life of the individuals it affected, and in particular in the limitation of physical exercise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of reduced physical activity on the lipid profile in patients with high cardiovascular risk. Methods: We enrolled 38 dyslipidemic patients, 56% male, with an age range of 44–62 years, considered to be at high cardiovascular risk. All patients were prescribed statin drug therapy (atorvastatin 40 mg) and a vigorous physical activity program four times a week, 1 h per session. In addition, a personalized Mediterranean diet was prescribed to all the patients. Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides were measured in patients at T0 before lockdown and at T1 during lockdown. Results: Data showed a significant increase (p < 0.01) in total cholesterol (+6,8%) and LDL (+15,8%). Furthermore, the analysis of the data revealed a reduction in HDL (−3%) and an increase in triglycerides (+3,2%), although both were not significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our study showed that the reduction in physical activity during lockdown led to an increase in LDL levels, and therefore, in the risk of ischemic heart disease in dyslipidemic patients with high cardiovascular risk.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has led to over 430.000 deaths worldwide today [1]
All 14 patients confirmed their full adherence to statin therapy and that they respected the indications of the prescribed personalized diet that was reported on a weekly, self-reported diary
At T1, we observed a significant increase (p < 0.01) in total (+6,8%) and LDL-cholesterol (+15,8%)
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has led to over 430.000 deaths worldwide today [1]. In order to contrast the virus diffusion, the Italian government ordered the lockdown for the Italian population from 7 March 2020 [3]. This measure, designed to contain the virus, led to hard limitations on the daily life of the individuals it affected, and 4.0/). In Italy, to limit the infections, the government ordered lockdown from March 2020 This measure, designed to contain the virus, led to serious limitations on the daily life of the individuals it affected, and in particular in the limitation of physical exercise.
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