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Reduced physical exercise and health‐related quality of life after Fontan palliation
Author(s) -
Hedlund Eva R.,
Lundell Bo,
Villard Li,
Sjöberg Gunnar
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.13544
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , fontan procedure , physical activity , physical therapy , cardiology , heart disease , nursing
Aim A growing number of patients with Fontan circulation are reaching adulthood, and there is increasing concern about their physical performance and quality of life. This study compared self‐reported exercise and measured activity with quality of life in patients after Fontan palliation and healthy controls. Methods Physical exercise during an average school week was reported by 30 Fontan circulation patients aged eight to 20 years, and 25 healthy controls, followed by accelerometer recordings over seven days. All subjects and their parents answered a questionnaire on quality of life. Results Patients reported spending less time exercising each week than the controls (114 ± 66 minutes vs. 228 ± 147 minutes, p < 0.001). However, the overall measured activity and moderate‐to‐vigorous activity was similar for patients and controls. Patients reported a lower quality of life score than the controls (70.9 ± 9.9 vs. 85.7 ± 8.0, p < 0.001). Conclusion In spite of similar measured total activity, Fontan patients reported less time engaged in regular physical exercise than healthy controls and their quality of life was lower than the controls. We speculate that promoting structured regular physical exercise could improve the quality of life of Fontan patients.