Exercise prescription in adults with congenital heart disease: a long way to go

OBJECTIVE: To determine if appropriate advice had been given to adults with congenital heart disease regarding safe and effective exercise, and to assess pre-existing misconceptions of the potential benefits and dangers of exercise. DESIGN: An anonymous self assessment questionnaire. SETTING: A tertiary referral clinic. PATIENTS: 99 adults (57 men, 42 women) with congenital heart disease, mean age 25.6 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The extent and nature of exercise advice given over previous years; a measure of current activity level compared with the American Heart Association recommendations; and an assessment of exercise limiting symptoms and a description of barriers to further exercise. RESULTS: 44% of the cohort assumed all exercise was safe despite their cardiac disease. A health care professional had only raised the issue of specific exercise advice in 28 cases. Of those given instruction it was more common to receive prohibitive advice (30%) than to be encouraged to take more exercise (19%). Despite this 61% were involved in some form of at least light exercise. The most prevalent barriers to exercise were current symptoms (32.3%), lack of interest in exercise (24.2%), and health fears (16.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The education of adults with congenital heart disease regarding exercise and its potential benefits and limitations is suboptimal even in a specialist clinic.