Sport is vital for children with heart disease
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.Children with a congenital heart defect do far too little sport. Mainly because parents and doctors are often overly careful. The training can prevent life-threatening consequential damage.
One in one hundred children in Germany is born with a congenital heart defect. Almost one in ten of them is difficult. Doctors can surgically correct some heart defects at an early stage, while other children have to live with reduced cardiac performance for a lifetime.
It is precisely such sick hearts that need training so that their performance is as high as possible within the scope of the restriction and the effects on the child's development remain as low as possible. Above all, the risk of life-threatening consequential damage caused by physical activity can be significantly reduced.
Exercise at least one hour a day
But that happens far too rarely: only nine percent of children and adolescents with congenital heart defects do sport for at least one hour a day, which the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends as a minimum. Of the heart children with severe congenital heart defects, only eight percent reach this mark.
That is the result of the so-called S-BAHn study (sport for congenital heart defects from the national register for congenital heart defects and the Ulm University Hospital. How active are children with heart disease?
A research team led by the pediatric cardiologist Christian Apitz from the Ulm University Hospital evaluated the complete data sets of 1,198 participants in the National Register between the ages of 6 and 17 with mild, moderate and complex congenital heart defects.
Underage heart patients and their parents answered questions about physical activity, medical care and sports recommendations from the treating physicians.
Many doctors advise against exercise instead of encouraging it
The research team was surprised that many study participants stated that they had restricted their physical activity on medical advice. In children and adolescents with complex congenital heart defects, this was the case in half, in patients with moderate congenital heart defects it was the case in every third. Even the mildly affected person recommended that every eighth person should take it easy.
"Advice gap must be closed"
The scientists see an urgent need for action here: “We knew from other studies that parents and custodians in particular tend to wrap young heart patients in cotton wool. We are concerned that there is a similar behavior among the treating physicians. There is a gap in advice that urgently needs to be closed, ”says pediatric cardiologist Apitz.
Children with heart disease particularly benefit from exercise
For children and adolescents with congenital heart defects, daily physical compensation with regard to the risk of life-threatening secondary diseases is particularly important. In addition, those affected benefit from the other positive effects of exercise. These include:
- Stress relief
- Improve mood
- Improve concentration
- healthier metabolism
- Strengthening the muscles
- Strengthening the immune system
- Get individual advice
Parents and their affected children or affected adolescents should therefore seek individual advice from a specialist doctor on the possibilities and restrictions in sports. It is important to have an individual training plan that challenges the sick heart - but not overwhelms it.
The offer, especially for severely affected children and adolescents, can, however, still be expanded: The researchers therefore recommend significantly expanding the corresponding offers. In addition, an intensified education by the treating doctors is important.
Affected persons can obtain information and contact persons from
- Federal Association for Children with Heart Disease, https://www.bvhk.de/
- National Register for Congenital Heart Defects, www.herzregister.de
- Competence Network for Congenital Heart Defects, www.kompetenznetz-ahf.de/patienten/
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