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regular exercise helps reduce the severity of symptoms of the heart condition atrial fibrillation and allows patients to maintain normal heart rhythm, according to a new study that found physical activity may often negate the need for other interventions.
the research, presented at this week’s european society of cardiology congress , found exercise-based rehabilitation to be an efficient and cost-effective way to treat the disorder that causes the heart to beat more quickly and irregularly. “the active-af trial demonstrates that some patients can control their arrhythmia through physical activity, without the need for complex interventions such as ablation or medications to keep their heart in normal rhythm,” said adrian elliott , the author of the study at the university of adelaide in australia.
atrial fibrillation, also known as af or afib, is caused by disturbances in heart’s electrical signal, according to the heart and stroke foundation . the risk of developing the condition, which affects roughly 200,000 canadians, increases with age and the presence of other risk factors, including diabetes, heart disease and elevated blood pressure. global rates of af are believed to be in the range of 30 million people, according to the study, with the lifetime risk as high as one in three in people over 55 years of age.
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dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
