Effect of physical exercise training on health-related quality of life and exercise tolerance in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The improvement of exercise tolerance and quality of life (QOL) are essential in the treatment of patients with heart failure. The influence of physical exercise training on QOL was investigated in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. METHODS: Health-related QOL was evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 Health Status Survey (SF-36) before and 3 months after individualized exercise training determined by cardiopulmonary exercise testing in 65 patients. The 44 patients who could carry out more than two-thirds of the prescribed exercise were classified into two groups: Group A (11 patients)with left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% and Group B (33 patients) with left ventricular ejection fraction > or = 40%. The remaining 21 patients served as the control group. RESULTS: The mean value of SF-36 improved significantly with exercise training only in Group A (50.8 +/- 25.3 to 62.1 +/- 22.2, p < 0.05). Group A also had an increase in peak Vo2 (18.9 +/- 3.5 to 21.4 +/- 3.6 ml/min/kg, p < 0.005) and a decrease in brain natriuretic peptide. The 24 patients (9 in Group A, 15 in Group B) with improved SF-36 values after the exercise training showed a negative correlation between the change of the mental component summary and the peak Vo2 (r = - 0.606, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Exercise training improves both the QOL, especially the mental component, and the exercise tolerance in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Author information

Author/s: Toda, Genji (G); Shibata, Shigemori (S); Nakamizo, Reiichiro (R); Seto, Shinji (S); Yano, Katsusuke (K);

Affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Course of Medical and Dental Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Sakamoto-cho 1-7-1, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 852-8501.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of cardiology (J Cardiol), published in Japan. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2004-Nov; vol 44 (issue 5) : pp 179-87

Dates: Created 2004/12/08; Completed 2004/12/22;

PMID: 15584249, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.