Physical activity can benefit patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a common condition with no pharmacological treatment, but no clear recommendations exist on the optimal amount or intensity of physical activity for these patients.
A new ESC Heart Failure study found that a higher amount of physical activity is related to higher sub-maximal exercise capacity and physical dimensions of quality of life; however, only high-intensity exercise is associated with maximal exercise capacity.
The study used the 6 minute walking test to assess sub-maximal exercise capacity. The distance covered over a time of 6 minutes is used as the outcome by which to compare changes in exercise capacity. Peak oxygen uptake was used to assess maximal exercise capacity, explained senior author Prof. Frank Edelmann, of Charité--Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in Germany.
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Journal
ESC Heart Failure