Exercise Prescription in Patients With Arrhythmias

Abstract

Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies have yielded definitive evidence that physical activity is able to reduce the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases and to improve physical fitness and quality of life. Moreover, physical activity seems to be capable of significantly reducing the risk of developing other chronic diseases, such as obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, some neoplasms and depression. For these reasons, physical exercise has been proposed as an efficacious, low-cost, physiological means of disease prevention and therapy. However, although enormous amounts of scientific data have demonstrated the benefits of a physically active lifestyle, only a minority of people in Europe take regular physical exercise. One of the prime objectives of healthcare institutions is therefore to promote physical activity in the general population, as well as in patients with cardiovascular diseases.In the present review, we analyze the following points: some clinical aspects of arrhythmias and their relationships with physical exercise; the specific recommendations for exercise prescription in the various arrhythmias and in arhythmogenic heart diseases; the interactions between physical activity and antiarrhythmic therapies.