Effect of physical training in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease

In order to test the effect of systematic supervised physical training, we divided a total of 129 children and adolescents with congenital heart disea se into a group undergoing intervention and a control group. All patients u nderwent exercise tests, measurements of physical activity, and a survey of psychosocial factors. An improvement in uptake of peak level of oxygen was observed after intervention. There was also an improvement in physical act ivity in both groups measured by a monitor, although this was significant o nly in those with intervention. The psychosocial scales measured by the Chi ld Behavior Checklist showed a decrease in internalizing scores for those s ubjected to intervention. This was decreased due to decreased withdrawal an d somatic complaints. In conclusion, we recommend systematic supervised tra ining, including testing of routine follow-ups, in patients with congenital heart disease.