Peak steps: Capacity for activity improves after adding approved therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Abstract

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients have low activity. Activity intensity or duration could be a measure of clinical status or improvement. We aimed to determine whether standard or novel actigraphy measures could detect increases in activity after adding therapy. This was a prospective, single‐center observational study evaluating activity after adding therapy in Group 1 PAH; we also report a validation cohort. For our study, two different accelerometers were used, a wrist (ActiGraph) and chest (MC10) device. Patients were analyzed in two groups, Treatment Intensification (TI, adding therapy) or Stable. Both groups had baseline monitoring periods of 7 days; the TI group had follow‐up at 3 months, while Stables had follow‐up within 4 weeks to assess stability. Activity time and steps were reported from both devices' proprietary algorithms. In ActiGraph only, steps in 1‐min intervals throughout the day were ranked (not necessarily contiguous). Average values for each week were calculated and compared using nonparametric testing. Thirty patients had paired data (11 Stable and 19 TI). There was no between‐group difference at baseline; we did not observe therapy‐associated changes on average daily steps or activity time/intensity. The top 5 min of steps (capacity) increased after adding therapy; there was no difference in the stable group. This key finding was validated in a previously reported randomized trial studying a behavioral intervention to increase exercise. Total daily activity metrics are influenced by both disease and non‐disease factors, making therapy‐associated change difficult to detect. Peak minute steps were a treatment‐responsive marker in both a pharmacologic and training intervention.