High-Intensity Exercise Not Associated with Higher Risk of Cardiac Issues in Long QT Syndrome
July 31, 2024
A recent NIH-supported study has found that individuals with Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), a genetic heart condition causing irregular heartbeats, do not face a higher risk of adverse cardiac events from vigorous exercise compared to those who exercise moderately or not at all. Published in Circulation, the study addresses concerns about whether intense physical activity could exacerbate life-threatening arrhythmias in people with LQTS.
Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), this observational study involved 1,413 LQTS patients from 37 medical centers across five countries, conducted from May 2015 to February 2019. Participants, aged 8 to 60, either carried the LQTS gene or had been diagnosed through abnormal EKG results. All were receiving treatment, including medication or devices like implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) to monitor and address arrhythmias. Half of the participants engaged in vigorous exercise, such as running, while the other half either engaged in moderate exercise, like walking, or did not exercise.
Researchers tracked the participants over three years, monitoring four main cardiovascular events: sudden deaths, resuscitated sudden cardiac arrests, ICD-treated arrhythmias, and arrhythmic syncope, a dangerous type of fainting. Utilizing a non-inferiority study design to compare vigorous and moderate exercise, the results showed no significant difference. The rate of adverse cardiac events was similar between those who exercised vigorously (2.6%) and those who exercised moderately or not at all (2.7%), indicating that intense exercise does not increase the risk of serious cardiac issues in LQTS patients.
CREDITS: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH