The impact of wheelchair basketball on HDL-cholesterol levels in women with spinal cord injury

Resumen

The objective of this study was to Assess the impact of wheelchair basketball (WB) on the lipid profi le of female paraplegic patients. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) serum levels from two groups were assessed. Both groups were enrolled in a rehabilitation program (RP). One group comprised patients who played WB (P group), (n=4) and another group was made up of patients who did not play (NP), (n=8). All patients enrolled had spinal cord injuries (SCI). Two blood samples were performed for each group. The mean interval between these samples was 11 months in the P group and 8 months to the NP group. The mean weekly duration of activity in P group was 130 minutes. Student’s t test and linear regression methods were used for statistical analysis. A p-value ? 0.05 was considered statistically signifi cant. The HDL-C, TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C baseline values exhibited no signifi cant differences between the P and NP groups (p>0.05). In the second sample, after taking part in WB, comparing the two measurements, the mean HDL-C level in group P had increased significantly (p?0.01), by 27.42%. It was conclude that weekly WB activity was effective for improving the lipid profi le test results in paraplegic patients and may reduce cardiovascular disease risk. This improvement could have been mediated by the adoption of a higher level of daily physical activity by those exercising.