Effects of training
Angina is one of the major heart conditions we hear about, and we explore whether exercise can be beneficial whilst suffering from this chronic condition.
Will Exercise help.
Can physical exercise and training help angina patients? It is widely recognised that physical de-conditioning typically occurs following a heart attack, and also that regular exercise is one of the best ways to protect yourself against cardiovascular disease.
Recent evidence.
However, until recently there has been no firm evidence that exercise and training can hep angina patients to recover from their illness. That has changed with recent clinical review that looked specifically at the effects of exercise in men and women following a heart attack. The research showed that exercise-only cardiac rehabilitation reduced all cause mortality by 27%, and cardiac death by 31%.
Assessing risk.
The other question many people have in regard to exercise following a heart attack, is will it cause a further heart attack? Again, the research is encouraging a recent review from a cardiac rehabilitation centre showed four major complications (three cardiac arrests and one non fatal MI) over a period of nine years. None of these were fatal. When calculated against the total hours patients had exercised, this equated to a rate of one major complication per 67,126 patient hours of exercise.
In summary.
It is therefore recommended that all patients with cardiac conditions should be encouraged to undertake at least low to moderate intensity exercise. The only contraindication would be those with a clinically unstable cardiac disease or another limiting co-morbid illness.
