A Comparison of Physical Activity and Exercise Capacity in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease and Healthy Controls

Abstract

Purpose: Advancements in surgical and nonsurgical care for congenital heart disease (CHD) have enabled an increase in survival into adulthood of these children with CHD, thereby contributing to the growth of the aging population, it is important to evaluate these functional outcome measures in adults with CHD. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the subjective and objective assessments of physical activity (PA) and exercise capacity (EC) in adults with CHD and age-matched, healthy controls. Methods: Forty-six adults with CHD (male, 26; age, 20.6±1.3 years) and forty-six healthy controls (male, 24; age, 21.2±1.6 years) underwent an assessment of subjective and objective PA levels using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and the accelerometer device (GENEActiv) worn on the wrist for seven consecutive days, respectively. EC was directly measured by peak oxygen uptake (peak VO 2 ) during a graded exercise test. Results: Subjectively and objectively measured of moderate to vigorous PA in adults with CHD were lower than those with healthy controls (p=0.008, p=0.004), while the majority of adults with CHD have achieved the recommended levels of PA (150 min/wk). In addition, peak VO 2 was lower in adults with CHD than in healthy controls (30.8±8 mL/kg/min vs. 46.7±10 mL/kg/min, p ＜ 0.001). Conclusion: Although the majority of adults with CHD meet the recommended levels of PA, their overall PA levels and EC are still lower than those of age-matched, healthy adults without CHD.