Aerobic Capacity in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: More than VO2peak, a Follow-Up Study.

To control the development of people with congenital heart disease (CHD), it is important to follow their aerobic capacity (AC), especially when they exercise. This research aimed to study the progress of AC during a follow-up of adults with CHD. This is a longitudinal study which involved 127 adults with a mean age of 33.8 (11.1) years (57.5% female; 75 moderate CHD and 52 complex CHD) who had undergone two cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CEPT) in at least one year between the first and the second test. The AC and exercise performance (EP) (duration of exercise time, velocity and percentage of grade) were assessed using a ramp protocol over a treadmill. In a mean of 4.5 (2.0) years of follow-up, there was a significant decrease in AC. The VO2peak at baseline was 27.8 (27.7) mL/kg/min (82.9% (20.3%) predicted) versus 26.6 (7.8) mL/kg/min (79.3% (20.8%) predicted) at the end of follow-up. This decline was independent of the body weight increase. There was no significant difference in HRpeak and EP among periods. These results suggest a sign of favorable evolution of adults with CHD. More research is needed to study different factors that could contribute to AC reduction.

Association of Self-Reported and Device-Measured Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity with Health-Related Quality of Life among European Older Adults.

Human movement behaviours such as physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) during waking time have a significant impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older adults. In this study, we aimed to analyse the association between self-reported and device-measured SB and PA with HRQoL in a cohort of community-dwelling older adults from four European countries. A subsample of 1193 participants from the SITLESS trial (61% women and 75.1 ± 6.2 years old) were included in the analysis. The association between self-reported and objective measures of SB and PA with HRQoL were quantified using Spearman's Rho coefficients. The strength of the associations between self-reported and device-measured PA and SB with self-rated HRQoL (mental composite score, MCS; physical composite score, PCS) were assessed through multivariate multiple regression analysis. Self-reported and device-measured PA and SB levels showed significant but poor associations with PCS (p < 0.05). The association with MCS was only significant but poor with self-reported light PA (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that both self-reported and device-measured PA of all intensities were positively and significantly associated, while SB was negatively and significantly associated with the PCS of the SF-12.

Prevalencia de factores de riesgo cardiovascular en deportistas de élite después de abandonar la competición / Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in elite athletes after leaving the competition

INTRODUCCIÓN: Estudios epidemiológicos muestran que los factores de riesgo cardiovascular (FRCV) aumentan con la edad en la población general. OBJETIVO: Estudiar los FRCV en deportistas de élite que habían abandonado la alta competición como mínimo desde hace 5 años. MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: Estudio descriptivo longitudinal de una cohorte de ex−deportistas de élite con bradicardia sinusal extrema (n = 157) 122 hombres y 35 mujeres. Edad= 47 ± 5,9 años. Atletismo (n = 66 42%) natación (n = 35 22%) y otros (n=56 36%). Para determinar la presencia de FRCV se utilizó un cuestionario estructurado en el momento de inclusión del estudio y en el seguimiento. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo según las variables fueran cualitativas o cuantitativas y un análisis bivariado en relación a la bradicardia sinusal y los FRCV. RESULTADOS: Se han comparado con datos de la población general. Tabaquismo 9,0% hombres y 8,6% mujeres versus población general 30,9% hombres y 20,5% mujeres; Hipertensión arterial 9,8% hombres y 0% mujeres versus 22,6% y 23,7%; Diabetes Mellitus 2,5% hombres y 0% mujeres versus 7,6% y 7,9%; Obesidad 4,1% hombres y 0% mujeres versus 15,7% y 14,0%; Hipercolesterolemia 18,2% hombres y 2,9% mujeres versus 16% del total en la población general. Practican ejercicio físico regularmente 85% hombres y 82,9% mujeres versus 84,5% y 81,1%. 47 (29,9%) realizaban ejercicio físico moderado, 32 (20,4%) ejercicio físico intenso, 21 (13,3%) ejercicio físico muy intenso. CONCLUSIÓN: La mayoría de los deportistas de élite continúan realizando ejercicio físico regular y sus FRCV son inferiores a los de la población general

INTRODUCTION: Epidemiological studies show that cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) increase with age in the general population. AIM: To study the Cardiovascular Risk Factors (CVRF) in elite athletes who had retired from competitive sports for a minimum of five years prior to participation in the follow-up examination. MATERIAL AND METHOD: longitudinal follow-up study in 157 former elite athletes who had sinus bradycardia (n = 157) 122 men and 35 women. Age = 47 ± 5.9 years. Track and field (n = 66 42%) swimming (n = 35 22%) and others (n = 56 36%). To determine the presence of CRF, a structured questionnaire was used at the time of inclusion of the study and in the follow-up. A descriptive analysis was performed depending on whether the variables were qualitative or quantitative and a bivariate analysis in relation to sinus bradycardia and CRF. The results have been compared with data from the general population. RESULTS: Smoking 9.0% men and 8.6% women versus the general population 30.9% men and 20.5% women; Hypertension 9.8% men and 0% women versus 22.6% and 23.7%; Diabetes Mellitus 2.5% men and 0% women versus 7.6% and 7.9%; Obesity 4.1% men and 0% women versus 15.7% and 14.0%; Hypercholesterolemia 18.2% men and 2.9% women versus 16% of the total in the general population. 85% men and 82.9% women versus 84.5% and 81.1% regularly exercise. 47 (29.9%) performed moderate physical exercise, 32 (20.4%) intense physical exercise, 21 (13.3%) very intense physical exercise. CONCLUSION: The majority of elite athletes continue to regularly exercise and their CRF are lower than those of the general population

Accelerometer-Measured Sedentary and Physical Activity Time and Their Correlates in European Older Adults: The SITLESS Study.

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) are important determinants of health in older adults. This study aimed to describe the composition of accelerometer-measured SB and PA in older adults, to explore self-reported context-specific SB, and to assess sociodemographic and functional correlates of engaging in higher levels of SB in participants of a multicenter study including four European countries. METHOD: One thousand three hundred and sixty community-dwelling older adults from the SITLESS study (61.8% women; 75.3 ±â€…6.3 years) completed a self-reported SB questionnaire and wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for 7 days. Accelerometer-determined compositional descriptive statistics were calculated. A fixed-effects regression analysis was conducted to assess the sociodemographic (country, age, sex, civil status, education, and medications) and functional (body mass index and gait speed) correlates. RESULTS: Older adults spent 78.8% of waking time in SB, 18.6% in light-intensity PA, and 2.6% in moderate-to-vigorous PA. Accelerometry showed that women engaged in more light-intensity PA and walking and men engaged in higher amounts of moderate-to-vigorous PA. Watching television and reading accounted for 47.2% of waking time. Older age, being a man, single, taking more medications, being obese and overweight, and having a slower gait speed were statistically significant correlates of more sedentary time. CONCLUSIONS: The high amount of SB of our participants justifies the need to develop and evaluate interventions to reduce sitting time. A clinically relevant change in gait speed can decrease almost 0.45 percentage points of sedentary time. The distribution of context-specific sedentary activities by country and sex showed minor differences, albeit worth noting.