Impact of physical activity on self-reported health parameters in peripheral artery disease in two periods of the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: Prolonged social isolation intended to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), may potentially affect the physical activity level and health of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). OBJECTIVES: To analyze the impact of physical activity practice on longitudinal changes in self-reported health parameters during the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with PAD. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. SETTING: The database of studies developed by our group involving patients with PAD from public hospitals in São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, 99 patients with PAD were evaluated in two periods during the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., May to August 2020 and May to August 2021). Patients were interviewed by telephone, and information was obtained regarding physical activity practice and self-reported health (i.e., current global, physical, and mental health). Patients were divided into two groups: the physically inactive group (patients who were or became physically inactive, n=76, 51.3% male, 67±10 years old, 8±7 years of disease duration) and the physically active group (patients who started or continued practicing physical activity, n=23, 65.2% male, 71±8years old, 7±6 years of disease). RESULTS: The physically inactive group more frequently self-reported their current health as poor (6.6 vs. 17.1%, P=0.045) and were more frequently hospitalized for reasons other than COVID-19 (6.6 vs. 27.6%, P=0.001) between the two periods evaluated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The physically active group self-reported lower declines in walking capacity (13.0 vs. 43.5%, P=0.022) between the two periods evaluated. We did not observe any differences in other parameters in either group between the two periods evaluated (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The practice of physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic can help maintain or mitigate the negative impacts on self-reported global and physical health parameters in patients with PAD.