Objective: To examine long-term changes in physical function and body composition in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients participating in ongoing community-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR).
Design: Thirty-four individuals (69.7 ± 8.2 years; 79% men) participated in this longitudinal observational study. Baseline and follow-up assessments included incremental shuttle walk, short physical performance battery, handgrip strength, chair stands, body composition, last year physical activity, and CR attendance.
Results: Participants attended 38.5 ± 30.3% sessions during 1.6 ± 0.2 year followup. A significant increase in 30-second chair stands (17.0 ± 4.7 to 19.6 ± 6.4, P < 0.001), body weight (75.8 ± 11.1 to 77.2 ± 12.1 kg, P = 0.001), and body fat (27.0 ± 9.5 to 29.1 ± 9.6%, P < 0.001) and a decline in handgrip strength (36.4 ± 9.4 to 33.0 ± 10.6 kg·f, P < 0.001) and muscle mass (40.8 ± 5.6 to 39.3 ± 5.8%, P < 0.001) were observed during followup. There was no significant change in shuttle walk duration. CR attendance was not correlated to observed changes.
Conclusions: Elderly CAD patients participating in a maintenance CR program improve lower-body muscle strength but experience a decline in handgrip strength and unfavourable changes in body composition, irrespective of CR attendance.