The effect of exercise on serum amyloid a levels in patients with sarcoidosis: A preliminary report

Introduction: Several studies have associated sarcoidosis with reduced muscle strength and exercise intolerance. To date, the effect of exercise itself has not been evaluated in sarcoidosis-relevant biomarkers. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of exercise in modulating the levels of serum amyloid A (SAA), in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: Twenty subjects (15 patients vs 5 controls) underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) until exhaustion. SAA samples were collected pre- and post-exercise, and were subsequently measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Related and Independent Samples T-tests were employed to determine differences between pre- and post- exercise groups, and controls vs patients groups respectively. For all tests, a p-value Results: Higher levels of SAA were associated with the disease group both pre- (33.067,3±26535,7 vs 3.303,5±3.304,8 ng/mL, p 0.05). Conclusions: SAA levels were determined to be significantly higher in patients compared to controls; This difference persisted despite the effect of CPET. Our preliminary findings would thus concur that SAA is a potentially useful diagnostic biomarker for sarcoidosis; It may not, however, be associated with the pathophysiological features of reduced exercise capacity and muscle strength in these patients.