The importance of exercise for children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia

A study by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan suggests the importance of tailored exercise programs for school-age children born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a defect in the diaphragm that causes the abdominal organs to herniate into the chest cavity.

Although recent advances in perinatal care have improved survival rates, many children still suffer long-term complications, especially in physical activity. To analyze its effects, the group performed motor and functional tests and gait analyses of young children.

Their findings, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition, showed that compared to healthy children, children born with CDH performed worse in all the tests except gait analyses. Impairments were found in limb muscle strength, balance, and endurance.

“Our findings show that even school-aged children with CDH who were not given any medical restrictions tended to engage in very little physical activity, which may explain their reduced motor function,” Ito said.

“This decline in quality of life due to limited opportunities for exercise is concerning,” he continued. “Encouraging these children to participate in regular physical activities, especially those that focus on muscle strength, balance, and endurance could help improve their motor abilities.”

Although the study focused on CDH and did not directly compare other conditions, the findings may be relevant to other congenital surgical conditions that require neonatal intensive care such as esophageal atresia and congenital pulmonary airway malformation. As the Graduate School of Medicine has treated these patients, the group hopes to investigate exercise interventions for a range of conditions.

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