Background/Purpose: Physical activity can mitigate cardiovascular disease and depression risk and improve fatigue, physical function, and quality of life in patients with SLE. To facilitate physical activity in a diverse patient population with SLE, it is critical to understand whether and how it is associated with socioeconomic, social, demographic, or clinical factors.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of patients with SLE from a large, urban city (n=189) who completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) based on the past 7-days recall of vigorous physical activity, moderate activity, or walking. Examples of vigorous physical activity include heavy lifting, digging, aerobics, or fast bicycling; moderate activity would include carrying light loads, bicycling at a regular pace, or doubles tennis, but not walking. Variables considered were financial insecurity, Everyday Discrimination Scale, education, age, sex, race, ethnicity, lupus-specific disease activity (any of cutaneous, nephritis, or arthritis), immunosuppressive medication, and Area Deprivation Index. Statistical tests of associations were 2-sided: chi-squared for categorical and Spearman rank correlation for continuous variables. Multivariable analyses applied a quasi-Poisson model due to overdispersion.

Results: The majority of patients (n=120/189, 64%) reported zero days of vigorous physical activity, whereas 42% reported no moderate activity (n=79) and only 4% reported no walking (n=7). Bivariate analyses showed that vigorous physical activity was associated only with lower disease activity (median=0, IQR=0-2 for no vigorous activity vs. median=0, IQR=0-1 for any vigorous activity; p=0.047). Multivariable analysis indicated that the count of vigorous activity days was modestly and negatively associated with disease activity, where a 1-unit increase in disease activity was associated with a 46% decrease in physical activity (p=0.068). Results suggest there is insufficient evidence of significant associations with most covariates in our sample.(Table) Outcomes of total physical activity, moderate activity, and walking in multivariable models showed no significant associations with covariates, leaving only vigorous activity reported here.

Conclusion: The null findings are illuminating and suggest that disease activity and socioeconomic and social factors did not keep patients from engaging in vigorous activity. Future longitudinal analysis will aid in understanding patterns of physical activity related to clinical factors and patient-reported outcome measures of pain, fatigue, depression, and more.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/vigorous-physical-activity-in-patients-with-sle-was-not-associated-with-disease-activity-or-socioeconomic-and-social-factors/