Exercise at High Altitude for Patients with Congenital Heart Disease
Author Information
Author(s): Vecchiato Marco, Duregon Federica, Borasio Nicola, Faggian Sara, Bassanello Veronica, Aghi Andrea, Palermi Stefano, Degano Gino, Battista Francesca, Ermolao Andrea, Neunhaeuserer Daniel
Primary Institution: Department of Medicine DIMED, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Hypothesis
How do patients with congenital heart disease respond to cardiopulmonary exercise at high altitude compared to healthy controls?
Conclusion
Short-term exposure to high altitude appears to be relatively well-tolerated by individuals with low-risk congenital heart disease, without a significantly different impact on cardiorespiratory response compared to healthy controls.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients with congenital heart disease showed lower cardiorespiratory fitness at both low and high altitudes compared to controls.
- Patients with congenital heart disease had a smaller decrease in peak workload and peak saturation when moving from low to high altitude.
- None of the participants developed exercise-induced symptoms during the study.
Takeaway
Kids and adults with heart problems can exercise at high places for a short time without getting too sick, just like healthy kids.
Methodology
A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing cardiopulmonary exercise responses in patients with congenital heart disease and healthy controls at high and low altitudes.
Potential Biases
Moderate risk of bias in confounding, selection, and measurement domains.
Limitations
The review included a limited number of studies and patients, and there was a moderate risk of bias due to non-randomized samples.
Participant Demographics
150 participants, 74 with congenital heart disease and 76 healthy controls; 43% were women.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 2.33–18.88 for peak workload; 95% CI: 0.14–2.30 for peak saturation
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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