People with long QT syndrome (LQTS), a heart condition that causes abnormal heartbeats, often worry about whether vigorous exercise might increase their risk of serious heart problems.
A new study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has some reassuring news: vigorous exercise does not lead to a higher risk of dangerous heart events for those being treated for LQTS.
Published in the journal Circulation, the study aimed to answer a long-debated question about whether vigorous exercise increases the chance of life-threatening abnormal heartbeats, known as ventricular arrhythmias, in people with LQTS.
This question has often led to recommendations that people with LQTS avoid intense physical activities.
The researchers conducted an observational study involving 1,413 people with LQTS from 37 medical sites in five countries, between May 2015 and February 2019.
The participants, aged 8 to 60, either had the LQTS gene or were diagnosed with LQTS based on an abnormal EKG test.
All participants were already being treated for LQTS with medications or devices like implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), which can detect and correct dangerous arrhythmias.
Among the participants, 52% were vigorous exercisers, such as runners, while the remaining 48% engaged in moderate activities like walking or did not exercise at all.
The researchers followed the participants for three years, monitoring the occurrence of four main heart-related events: sudden deaths, resuscitated sudden cardiac arrests, arrhythmias treated by an ICD, and severe fainting caused by arrhythmias (arrhythmic syncope).
The study used a unique design called “non-inferiority,” which compares whether one treatment is equal to another—in this case, whether vigorous exercise is as safe as moderate exercise. The results showed that the rate of adverse cardiac events was very low among those who exercised vigorously.
Only 2.6% of these participants experienced a likely LQTS-triggered cardiac event during the three-year follow-up period. This outcome was almost identical to those who exercised moderately or not at all, where 2.7% had a cardiac event.
These findings suggest that people with LQTS who are being treated can safely engage in vigorous exercise without a higher risk of serious heart problems.
This new evidence may help reduce the need for exercise restrictions for people with this inherited heart condition, allowing them to enjoy more physical activities with peace of mind.
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