BackgroundAcute coronary syndrome (ACS) is one of the main causes of morbidity and
mortality in the modern world. A sedentary lifestyle, present in 85%
of the Brazilian population, is considered a risk factor for the
development of coronary artery disease. However, the correlation of a
sedentary lifestyle with cardiovascular events (CVE) during
hospitalization for ACS is not well established.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between physical activity level, assessed
with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), with
in-hospital prognosis in patients with ACS.MethodsObservational, cross-sectional, and analytical study with 215 subjects
with a diagnosis of ACS consecutively admitted to a referral hospital
for cardiac patients between July 2009 and February 2011. All
volunteers answered the short version of the IPAQ and were observed
for the occurrence of CVE during hospitalization with a standardized
assessment conducted by the researcher and corroborated by data from
medical records.ResultsThe patients were admitted with diagnoses of unstable angina (34.4%),
acute myocardial infarction (AMI) without ST elevation (41.4%), and
AMI with ST elevation (24.2%). According to the level of physical
activity, the patients were classified as non-active (56.3%) and
active (43.7%). A CVE occurred in 35.3% of the cohort. The occurrence
of in-hospital complications was associated with the length of
hospital stay (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15) and physical inactivity (OR =
2.54), and was independent of age, systolic blood pressure, and prior
congestive heart failure.ConclusionA physically active lifestyle reduces the risk of CVE during
hospitalization in patients with ACS.