203. Guidelines: 2021 ESC Cardiovascular Prevention – Question #9 with Dr. Noreen Nazir

The following question refers to Section 4.3 of the2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelines.The question is asked by Dr. Maryam Barkhordarian, answered first by pharmacy resident Dr. Anushka Tandon, and then by expert facultyDr. Noreen Nazir.

Dr. Noreen Nazir is Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she is the director of cardiac MRI and the preventive cardiology program.

The CardioNerds Decipher The Guidelines Series for the 2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelinesrepresents a collaboration with theACC Prevention of CVD Section, theNational Lipid Association, andPreventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association.

Question #9

Mr. A is a 28-year-old man who works as an accountant in what he describes as a “desk job” setting. He shares that life got “a little off-track” for him in 2020 between the COVID-19 pandemic and a knee injury. His 2022 New Years’ resolution is to improve his overall cardiovascular and physical health. He has hypertension and a family history of premature ASCVD in his father, who died of a heart attack at age 50. Prior to his knee injury, he went to the gym 3 days a week for 1 hour at a time, split between running on the treadmill and weightlifting. He has not returned to the gym since his injury and has been largely sedentary, although he is trying to incorporate a 20-minute daily walk into his routine. Which of the following exercise-related recommendations is most appropriate?

A. A target of 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity or 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical exercise weekly is recommended to reduce all-cause mortality, CV mortality, and morbidity.
B. Bouts of exercise less than 30 minutes are not associated with favorable health outcomes.
C. Exercise efforts should be focused on aerobic activity, since only this type of activity is associated with mortality and morbidity benefits.
D. Light-intensity aerobic activity like walking is expected to have limited health benefits for persons with predominantly sedentary behavior at baseline.

Answer #9

The correct answer is A.

There is an inverse relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and CV morbidity/mortality, all-cause mortality, and incidence of type 2 diabetes, with additional benefits accrued for exercise beyond the minimum suggested levels. The recommendation to “strive for at least 150…