The impact of pre-myocardial infarction exercise frequency on prognosis in Non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction patients

Abstract Background Non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) presents a significant challenge in cardiovascular care, often requiring urgent management. Understanding the impact of exercise frequency prior to the onset of NSTEMI on post-event prognosis is crucial for developingmedical strategies. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of NSTEMI patients based on their exercise frequency before experiencing NSTEMI, comparing those with regular exercise (once or more per week) versus those with infrequent or no exercise. Methods This study included acute myocardial infarction cohorts from 71 secondary or tertiary hospitals between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2023. Inclusion criteria comprised NSTEMI patients evaluated for exercise frequency using the Community Health Questionnaire before hospitalization. The primary outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), net adverse clinical events (NACE), and all-cause mortality, with secondary outcomes comprising the individual components of MACCE and NACE. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to adjust for differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups. Multivariable Cox regression and robust multivariable Cox regression were conducted before and after PSM to evaluate the impact of exercise frequency on outcomes. Results The final study population consisted of 38753 participants (42.7% in the High-frequency exercise group). The median follow-up duration was 1518 days, the mean age was 67.80±11.47 years, 61.6% were male. Compared to individuals with infrequent exercise before NSTEMI, those with regular exercise exhibited significantly lower risks of MACCE [aHR 0.93(0.90-0.96), p<0.001], NACE [aHR 0.91(0.88-0.95), p<0.001], and all-cause mortality [aHR 0.88(0.85-0.92), p<0.001]. However, regular exercise before NSTEMI was associated with an increased risk of coronary revascularization [aHR 1.14(1.06-1.23), p<0.001]. These findings remained consistent in the robust multivariate Cox regression analysis conducted after adjusting for differences between the two groups with PSM (Figure 1). After PSM, survival analysis indicated that the incidence of primary outcomes was lower in individuals with high exercise frequency before NSTEMI compared to those with low exercise frequency before NSTEMI, with all-cause mortality rates of 26.9% vs. 30.8%, MACCE rates of 37.2% vs. 38.5%, and NACE rates of 37.9% vs. 39.1%, all with log-rank p-values <0.001. Conclusion This study highlights the protective role of regular physical activity befor NSTEMI in reducing adverse post-NSTEMI outcomes. Promoting pre-NSTEMI physical activity can be a key element in preventive cardiology, potentially improving prognosis and decreasing the likelihood of cardiovascular events post-NSTEMI.Figure 1