The relationship between exercise tolerance and quality of life in cardiac rehabilitation patients

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the impact of a fully comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programme on exercise tolerance and quality of life (QOL) in patients suffering from ischaemic heart disease (IHD). To determine the correlation between the two variables, namely exercise tolerance and QOL. Methods: twenty male patients between the ages of 50-70 suffering from IHD attending the comprehensive CR programme in the physiotherapy department at Mater Dei hospital were included in the study. Data from the patients’ Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) was collected both at baseline and after the six-week CR programme in order to collect information regarding the patients’ exercise tolerance levels. QOL was evaluated using the ‘Short Form 36’ (SF-36) which was also administered both before and after the programme. Results: Following the CR programme, the patients’ QOL including both the physical component score (PCS) and the mental component (MCS) score increased by 6% (P: 0.003 and P: 0.009 respectively). The results of the metabolic equivalent of task achieved (MET) and metabolic equivalent of task maximum (MET max) also increased by +0.5 and +0.4 respectively. The mean increment in distance walked in the 6MWT was 43.85 metres. No significant difference was observed in the results between categorical variables (age, BMI, occupation, activity level, smoking status). The Pearson correlation test confirmed a positive relationship between the PCS of the SF-36 and exercise tolerance (P<0.05). No correlation was found between exercise tolerance and the MCS of the SF-36 (P >0.05). Conclusion: A six-week comprehensive CR programme has positive effects on both exercise tolerance and QOL. As exercise tolerance levels increase, the physical aspect of QOL also increases.