Key result
Daily physical exercise at school increased the reactive hyperemic index by 0.09 compared to standard weekly exercise in healthy adolescents, though age and sex were the primary determinants.
Why the study?
Does daily physical exercise at school improve endothelial function as measured by reactive hyperemic index in healthy adolescents?
RCT (n=445)
Open-label
Cluster randomized by class
Yes
Does daily physical exercise at school improve endothelial function as measured by reactive hyperemic index in healthy adolescents?
Mean Difference: 0.09 (95% CI -0.05–0.23)
In adolescents, endothelial function measured by reactive hyperemic index is highly dependent on age and sex, which must be accounted for when using it as a surrogate marker in clinical research.
Age and sex must be adjusted when interpreting reactive hyperemic index in adolescents; challenges its unadjusted use as an endothelial surrogate.
BACKGROUND: As adolescents rarely experience cardiovascular events, surrogate markers of atherosclerosis are useful to justify and monitor effects of primary prevention and therapy of risk factors. Endothelial function assessed by reactive hyperemic peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) resulting in a reactive hyperemic index (RHI) is a noninvasive method with limited data for use in children and adolescents. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a total of 931 RHI measurements in 445 high-school students, aged 10-17 years, over a time period of 5 years. Students were randomized by class to 60 min physical exercise (PE) at school daily (intervention group), or 2 units of 45-min PE weekly (control group). To characterize the factors influencing the RHI, anthropometry, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, blood cholesterol and quality of life were assessed and used to build mixed linear models. Main influential factors were age, with an increase of RHI from 1.53±0.42 in the youngest to 1.96±0.59 in the oldest students, sex, with higher values in girls, and physical activity. This increase adjusted by age and sex was estimated as 0.11 [0.08, 0.14] per year. RHI was higher in the intervention group by 0.09 [-0.05, 0.23] in comparison with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: If RH-PAT is used in research or as a clinical tool in adolescents, the shown age- and sex-dependence of RHI have to be taken in account.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Mueller et al. (2017) conducted an RCT in Healthy (assessment of endothelial function) (n=445). Physical exercise at school vs. 2 units of 45-min physical exercise weekly was evaluated on Reactive hyperemic index (RHI) (MD 0.09, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.23). Daily physical exercise at school increased the reactive hyperemic index by 0.09 compared to standard weekly exercise in healthy adolescents, though age and sex were the primary determinants.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: