Faster walking heart disease patients are hospitalised less, stated research presented today at EuroPrevent 2018, a European Society of Cardiology congress, and published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
The three-year study was conducted in 1,078 hypertensive patients, of whom 85% also had coronary heart disease and 15% also had valve disease.
Who Else Wants to Know How Walking Helps Heart and Brain?
Walking early morning would improve your health as it helps heart and brain to function properly. Find more about its benefits for your body.
Advertisement
‘The faster the walking speed, lower the risk of hospitalisation and shorter the length of hospital stay in patients with heart disease.’
Tweet it Now
Patients were then asked to walk 1 km on a treadmill at what they considered to be a moderate intensity.3 Patients were classified as slow (2.6 km/hour), intermediate (3.9 km/hour) and fast (average 5.1 km/hour). A total of 359 patients were slow walkers, 362 were intermediate and 357 were fast walkers.
The researchers recorded the number of all-cause hospitalisations and length of stay over the next three years. Participants were flagged by the regional Health Service Registry of the Emilia-Romagna Region, which collects data on all-cause hospitalisation.
![Walking Test to Diagnose Dementia]( "Walking Test to Diagnose Dementia")
Simple walking test can help find out if a person has idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) or progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Both are caused by the damage of the brain nerve cells.
Study author Dr Carlotta Merlo, a researcher at the University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy, said: "We did not exclude any causes of death because walking speed has significant consequences for public health. Reduced walking speed is a marker of limited mobility, which is a precursor of disability, disease, and loss of autonomy."
During the three year period, 182 of the slow walkers (51%) had at least one hospitalisation, compared to 160 (44%) of the intermediate walkers, and 110 (31%) of the fast walkers. The slow, intermediate and fast walking groups spent a total of 4,186, 2,240, and 990 days in hospital over the three years, respectively.
The average length of hospital stay for each patient was 23, 14, and 9 days for the slow, intermediate and fast walkers, respectively (see figure). Each 1 km/hour increase in walking speed resulted in a 19% reduction in the likelihood of being hospitalised during the three-year period. Compared to the slow walkers, fast walkers had a 37% lower likelihood of hospitalisation in three years.
Dr Merlo said: "Since reduced walking speed is a marker of limited mobility, which has been linked to decreased physical activity,4 we assume that fast walkers in the study are also fast walkers in real life."
She continued: "Walking is the most popular type of exercise in adults. It is free, does not require special training, and can be done almost anywhere. Even short, but regular, walks have substantial health benefits. Our study shows that the benefits are even greater when the pace of walking is increased."
Source: Eurekalert
Walking Test to Diagnose Dementia
Simple walking test can help find out if a person has idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) or progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Both are caused by the damage of the brain nerve cells.
Advertisement
Study author Dr Carlotta Merlo, a researcher at the University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy, said: "We did not exclude any causes of death because walking speed has significant consequences for public health. Reduced walking speed is a marker of limited mobility, which is a precursor of disability, disease, and loss of autonomy."
During the three year period, 182 of the slow walkers (51%) had at least one hospitalisation, compared to 160 (44%) of the intermediate walkers, and 110 (31%) of the fast walkers. The slow, intermediate and fast walking groups spent a total of 4,186, 2,240, and 990 days in hospital over the three years, respectively.
The average length of hospital stay for each patient was 23, 14, and 9 days for the slow, intermediate and fast walkers, respectively (see figure). Each 1 km/hour increase in walking speed resulted in a 19% reduction in the likelihood of being hospitalised during the three-year period. Compared to the slow walkers, fast walkers had a 37% lower likelihood of hospitalisation in three years.
Dr Merlo said: "Since reduced walking speed is a marker of limited mobility, which has been linked to decreased physical activity,4 we assume that fast walkers in the study are also fast walkers in real life."
She continued: "Walking is the most popular type of exercise in adults. It is free, does not require special training, and can be done almost anywhere. Even short, but regular, walks have substantial health benefits. Our study shows that the benefits are even greater when the pace of walking is increased."
Source: Eurekalert
Test your Knowledge on Exercise Addiction
Exercise addiction, or exercise dependence, is a compulsive habit of engaging in an extreme physical activity performed beyond the required level of fitness. Exercise addicts may start physical activity for weight control and falsely believe that more exercise leads to faster results.
Advertisement
 | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Heart Disease News
According to health experts, an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots is associated with higher hemoglobin levels.
Early cardiac evaluation reverses atherosclerosis caused by cardiac risk factors like high BP and high cholesterol in young adults.
PM2.5 increases during winter inversions are associated with higher heart attack risk, stated study.
The study underscores the significance of broader genetic testing for familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic disorder that causes high bad cholesterol levels.
For patients experiencing both anemia and a heart attack, transfusion threshold trials play a crucial role in assisting physicians in making informed decisions.