A recent study has found that being inactive can worsen the clinical condition of cardiac patients. The solution? – Increased physical activity can reverse the above situation and improve the health status.
It is a common misconception that physical activity can complicate a cardiac condition, possibly due to over exertion and excessive strain on the heart. However, a guideline released by a research group from Australia recommends that cardiac patients should try and reach levels of activity close to the general population.More than 3.2 million people in Australia have been diagnosed with some form cardiovascular disease and are often restricted from performing exercise due to increased risk of a heart attack. This belief would soon be condemned as the National Heart Foundation has now said that moderate activity for 30 minutes can attenuate the symptoms and even reduce the cardiovascular death date.
The results of this extensive and authoritative study can be found in the Medical Journal of Australia. Even a simple act of cleaning the house can go a long way in improving the cardiac health in stable patients.
Such activities performed in installments of 10 minutes can produce a substantial reduction in angina related symptoms and an improvement in the breathing, leading to a better quality of life. Moreover, this has been found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death by as much as 25%.
This conclusion has led to confusion among general physicians who redirect their patients to cardiologists for further advice and follow up.
"Patients with heart disease have not been encouraged to do activity, on the basis it may risk their lives. GPs are concerned that if they prescribe exercise and the patient drops dead, they will be sued. We think about half of patients miss out completely because it's a disincentive. The guidelines basically say that's not true -- more than half of patients can and should do an exercise program, " said Roger Allan of the Heart Foundation.
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