Daily physical activity in adults with congenital heart disease is positively correlated with exercise capacity but not with quality of life

With the fear of heart failure and sudden death, many patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) traditionally were withheld from exercise activities. Much is reported on sedentary lifestyle with diminished exercise capacity in children with CHD which results in an increased cardiovascular risk. This study aimed to assess whether the sedentary lifestyle is also present in adulthood and whether this is associated with exercise capacity and quality of life (QoL) limitations. From October 2007 to January 2010 a total of 330 patients (149 female, 18-61 years) with various CHD completed the health-related QoL questionnaire SF-36 and performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test. Afterward a triaxial accelerometer was worn over the next consecutive 7 days to assess daily activity. Patients achieved 59.2 +/- A 39.7 min of at least moderate activity per day and 76% of the investigated patients met the recommendations of daily activity. Exercise capacity was diminished in most of the patients with 25.6 +/- A 7.8 mL/min/kg (73.7 +/- A 19.5% of predicted). There was a moderate relationship between daily activity and exercise capacity (r = 0.437, p < 0.001). The correlation of daily activity to QoL was rather poor (r = 0.030 to r = 0.258). Most adults with CHD are fairly active. Daily activity is positively correlated with exercise capacity. Therefore, promotion of an active lifestyle seems warranted after medical counseling.