Quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure: A randomized controlled trial of changes induced by a regular exercise program

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a three-month exercise program on the perception of quality of life in patients with severe chroni c heart failure. In a randomized controlled setting, 27 patients with a lef t ventricular ejection fraction of 18.1 +/- 8.0% were entered into the stud y. The training group performed aerobic exercises for three hours/week whil e the control group continued their usual activities of daily living. Quali ty of life was measured using the German version of the MOS SF-36, Two pati ents required a change in their drug regimen and were therefore withdrawn f rom the study. Twenty-five patients completed the study. In the exercise gr oup the perception of quality of life improved significantly in the domains of vitality (p=0.0001), physical role fulfilment (p=0.001), physical (p = 0.02) and social (p = 0.0002) functioning. Exercise was effective in increa sing peak oxygen uptake and exercise time (p<0.01). Only weak correlations were registered between parameters of physical performance and quality of l ife domains. The results of the study indicate that aerobic exercise can im prove the perception of quality of life in patients with severe chronic hea rt failure.