Fitness An Important Predictor of Heart Failure

Carl "Chip" Lavie MD, FACC Medical  Director, Cardiac  Rehabilitation and Prevention Director, Exercise Laboratories John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute Professor of Medicine Ochsner Clinical  School-UQ School of Medicine Editor-in-Chief, Progress in Cardiovascular DiseasesMedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Carl “Chip” Lavie MD, FACC
Medical  Director, Cardiac  Rehabilitation and Prevention
Director, Exercise Laboratories
John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute
Professor of Medicine
Ochsner Clinical  School-UQ School of Medicine
Editor-in-Chief, Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases

Medical Research: What are the key points of your editorial?

Dr. Lavie:

1) The importance of higher fitness to predict a lower rate of developing Heart Failure;

2) improvements in fitness over  time  predict a lower rate of developing  Heart Failure, and

3) Once Heart Failure develops, higher fitness predicts a more favorable prognosis.

Medical Research: What should patients and clinicians take away from this report?

1) Fitness is one of the most important predictors of Cardiovascular disease prognosis, including for heart failure prevention and for prognosis for heart failure;

2) Clinicians should emphasize increasing Physical Activity and Exercise Training to reduce Cardiovascular disease.

Citation:

Critical Impact of Fitness in the Prevention and Treatment of Heart Failure
Lavie, Carl J. et al. American Heart Journal
November 13, 2014
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2014.11.006

Last Updated on November 26, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD