Key result
Substance use disorder patients exhibited significantly lower maximal oxygen consumption, reduced walking efficiency, and impaired maximal strength compared to healthy matched controls.
Why the study?
Do patients with substance use disorder have impaired aerobic endurance and muscular strength compared to healthy controls?
Observational (n=69)
No
Do patients with substance use disorder have impaired aerobic endurance and muscular strength compared to healthy controls?
Effect estimate: 15% reduction in men, 25% reduction in women
p-value: p=0.03 for men, 0.001 for women
Patients with substance use disorder have significantly impaired aerobic endurance and muscular strength, suggesting a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and a need for exercise interventions.
Impaired fitness in substance use disorder may warrant clinical screening; leaves open whether exercise interventions improve outcomes.
Although substance use disorder (SUD) patients are documented to have an inactive lifestyle, which is associated with cardiovascular disease, other lifestyle-related diseases and premature death, evidence regarding their aerobic endurance and muscular strength is limited. Therefore, the authors aimed to evaluate directly assessed maximal oxygen consumption, walking efficiency, as well as maximal strength in a group of SUD patients.A total of 44 SUD patients in residential treatment, 31 men (31 ± 8 years) and 13 women (34 ± 10 years), were included and completed the physical testing. The patients were compared with an age- and sex-matched reference group.Male and female SUD patients exhibited a maximal oxygen consumption of 44.6 ± 6.2 and 33.8 ± 6.6 mL· min kg, respectively. This was significantly lower than the reference group, 15% (P = 0.03) for men and 25% (P = 0.001) for women. In addition, the SUD patients had a 13% significantly reduced walking efficiency (P = 0.02), compared with healthy controls. The impairments in aerobic endurance were accompanied by significant reductions in maximal strength of 30% (P = 0.001) and 33% (P = 0.01) for men and women, respectively. In combination, these results imply that SUD patients have impaired endurance and muscular strength compared with what is typically observed in the population, and consequently suffer a higher risk of developing cardiovascular and other lifestyle-related diseases and early death. Effective physical exercise should be advocated as an essential part of the clinical practice of SUD treatment to improve the patient's health and consequently reduce the costs because of the high use of emergency departments, hospital, and medical care.
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Flemmen et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Substance Use Disorder (n=69). Substance use disorder vs. Healthy age- and sex-matched controls was evaluated on Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) (15% reduction in men, 25% reduction in women, p=0.03 for men, 0.001 for women). Substance use disorder patients exhibited significantly lower maximal oxygen consumption, reduced walking efficiency, and impaired maximal strength compared to healthy matched controls.
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