660 REGULAR EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY IMPROVES PLACENTAL GROWTH AND FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY

INTRODUCTION: Despite all efforts to restrict its transmission, Chagas' disease remains a severe public health problem in Latin America, affecting 8-12 million individuals. Chronic Chagas' heart disease, the chief factor in the high mortality rate associated with the illness, affects more than half a million Brazilians. Its evolution may result in severe heart failure associated with loss of functional capacity and quality of life, with important social and medical/labor consequences. Many studies have shown the beneficial effect of regular exercise on cardiac patients, but few of them have focused on chronic Chagas' heart disease. METHODS: This study evaluated the effects of an exercise program on the functional capacity of patients with chronic Chagas' disease who were treated in outpatient clinics at the Evandro Chagas Institute of Clinical Research and the National Institute of Cardiology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The exercises were performed 3 times a week for 1 h (30 min of aerobic activity and 30 min of resistance exercises and extension) over 6 months in 2010. Functional capacity was evaluated by comparing the direct measurement of the O2 uptake volume (VO2) obtained by a cardiopulmonary exercise test before and after the program (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Eighteen patients (13 females) were followed, with minimum and maximum ages of 30 and 72 years, respectively. We observed an average increase of VO2peak > 10% (p = 0.01949). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a statistically significant improvement in functional capacity with regular exercise of the right intensity.

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Impact of a Supervised Twelve-Week Combined Physical Training Program in Heart Failure Patients: A Randomized Trial

Cardiology Research and Practice ◽

10.1155/2019/1718281 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Tainá Fabri ◽

Aparecida Maria Catai ◽

Fábio H. O. Ribeiro ◽

Jonas A. Araújo Junior ◽

Juliana Milan-Mattos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Heart Failure ◽

Ejection Fraction ◽

Functional Capacity ◽

Physical Training ◽

Regular Exercise ◽

Trained Group ◽

Reduced Ejection Fraction ◽

Heart Failure Patients

Purpose. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of supervised combined physical training and unsupervised physician-prescribed regular exercise on the functional capacity and quality of life of heart failure patients. Methods. This is a longitudinal prospective study composed of 28 consecutive heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients randomly divided into two age- and gender-matched groups: trained group (n = 17) and nontrained group (n = 11). All patients were submitted to clinical evaluation, transthoracic echocardiography, the Cooper walk test, and a Quality of Life questionnaire before and after a 12-week study protocol. Categorical variables were expressed as proportions and compared with the chi-square test. Two-way ANOVA was performed to compare the continuous variables considering the cofactor groups and time of intervention, and Pearson correlation tests were conducted for the associations in the same group. Results. No significant differences between groups were found at baseline. At the end of the protocol, there were improvements in the functional capacity and ejection fraction of the trained group in relation to the nontrained group (p<0.05). There was time and group interaction for improvement in the quality of life in the trained group. Conclusions. In patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, supervised combined physical training improved exercise tolerance and quality of life compared with the unsupervised regular exercise prescribed in routine medical consultations. Left ventricular systolic function was improved with supervised physical training.

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