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In a groundbreaking study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers have determined that vigorous exercise does not increase the risk of adverse cardiac events in individuals with Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). This inherited condition disrupts the heart’s electrical system, leading to potentially chaotic heart rhythms.
Published in Circulation, the study addresses a critical question that has long plagued patients and healthcare providers: Does intense physical activity exacerbate the risk of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias in those treated for LQTS?
The study involved 1,413 participants from 37 medical sites across five countries, tracked from May 2015 to February 2019. Participants, aged 8 to 60, were either genetically diagnosed with LQTS or identified through abnormal EKG readings. All participants were receiving treatment for their condition, including medications or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), which monitor and correct arrhythmias.
The cohort was divided into two groups: 52% were vigorous exercisers, engaging in activities like running, while the remaining 48% participated in moderate exercise such as walking or did not exercise at all. Over a three-year follow-up, researchers monitored four primary cardiovascular events: sudden deaths, resuscitated sudden cardiac arrests, ICD-treated arrhythmias, and arrhythmic syncope (a type of fainting caused by arrhythmias).
Utilizing a non-inferiority study design, which assesses if one condition is as safe as another, the researchers found no statistically significant difference between vigorous and moderate or no exercise in terms of adverse cardiac events. The overall rate of cardiac events in the vigorous exercise group was 2.6%, compared to 2.7% in the moderate or non-exercise group.
These findings challenge previous recommendations that often led to exercise restrictions for LQTS patients, providing new evidence that vigorous physical activity can be safely incorporated into their routines without an increased risk of serious cardiac issues.
For further details, refer to the study by Rachel Lampert et al., “Vigorous Exercise in Patients With Congenital Long-QT Syndrome: Results of the Prospective, Observational, Multinational LIVE-LQTS Study,” published in Circulation (2024). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.067590.
