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| Exercise and Chronic Heart failure |
| Study shows exercise helps patients with chronic heart failure |
A study by German researchers indicated that daily exercise improved
the health of patients with stable chronic heart failure by improving
work capacity.
Researchers at the University of Leipzig said patients
who exercised regularly for six months showed significant improvement
in the volume of blood pumped by their hearts.
The daily exercise,
which began with frequent intense exercise of 10 minutes 4 to 6 times
per day and later reduced to 20 minutes per day on an exercise
bicycle, eased the passage of blood through hardened arteries and
blood vessels.
The 31 patients on the exercise program also had a
lower resting heart rate than a control group who remained sedentary.
The study was published in June issue of the Journal of the American
Medical Association.
Chronic heart failure afflicts 4.6 million Americans, according to the
American Heart Association, and half of those affected die within five
years.
The failing heart becomes too weak to supply blood adequately
to the body, and symptoms include shortness of breath, weight gain and
swelling of the legs.
Many heart patients find it difficult to
exercise because of their weakened state, but this study shows that it
may be beneficial for patients with stable chronic heart failure to
exercise under supervised conditions.
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