Guidelines Developed for Exercise in Cardiovascular Disease

TUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In 2020 European Society of Cardiology guidelines, recommendations are presented for exercise in patients with cardiovascular disease; the guidelines were published online Aug. 29 in the European Heart Journal to coincide with the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2020: The Digital Experience, held virtually from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.

Antonio Pelliccia, M.D., from the Institute of Sport Medicine and Science in Rome, and colleagues developed recommendations on sports and physical activity for individuals with all types of heart disease, emphasizing shared decision making with patients.

The authors note that cardiovascular screening before participation in recreational and competitive sports can detect disorders associated with sudden cardiac death and can lower cardiovascular risk through individualized and disease-specific patient management. Healthy adults and those with known cardiac diseases should exercise on most days, for a total of at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity exercise. With few exceptions, individuals with coronary artery disease at low risk for exercise-induced adverse events should be considered eligible for competitive or leisure sports activities. In heart failure, exercise programs improve exercise tolerance and quality of life. In individuals with aortopathies, implementation of healthy lifestyle behavior, including sports participation, decreases the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. While active inflammation is present, individuals with acute myocarditis or pericarditis should abstain from all sports.

“With rising levels of obesity and sedentary lifestyles, promoting physical activity is more crucial now than ever before,” Pelliccia said in a statement. ” Regular exercise not only prevents heart disease, but also reduces premature death in people with established heart disease.”

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