Effects of different exercise types on quality of life for patients with atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of exercise and the most effective types of exercise for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) to improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and exercise capacity, and reduce AF burden, AF recurrence and adverse events. Methods and results: Systematic search in PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, and SPORTDiscus for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized pre-post intervention studies investigating the effect of different types of exercise on AF patients. After exclusion, 12 studies (11 RCTs, 1 prepost) with a total of 670 participants were included. Exercise interventions consisted of aerobic exercise, aerobic interval training (AIT), Qigong, yoga, and exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR). There were significant positive effects of exercise on general health {mean difference [MD] = 6.42 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.90, 9.93]; P = 0.0003; I 2 = 17%} and vitality [MD = 6.18 (95% CI: 1.94, 10.41); P = 0.004; I 2 = 19%)] sub-scales of the Short Form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36). Qigong resulted in a significant improvement in the 6-min walk test [MD = 105.00m (95% CI: 19.53, 190.47)]. Exercise-based CR and AIT were associated with a significant increment in V̇O 2 peak, and AIT significantly reduced AF burden. Adverse events were few and one intervention-related serious adverse event was reported for exercise-based CR. Conclusion: Exercise led to improvements in HRQoL, exercise capacity, and reduced AF burden. The available exercise interventions for AF patients are few and heterogeneous. Future studies are needed for all types of exercise intervention in this patient group to (co-)develop an optimized exercise training intervention for AF patients.
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In a meta-analysis of 12 studies with 670 participants, all exercise modalities (aerobic exercise, AIT, yoga, qigong, cardiac rehabilitation) demonstrated statistically significant beneficial effects on general health and vitality measured by SF-36; cardiac rehabilitation and AIT increased peak VO2, AIT reduced AF burden, and qigong improved the 6-min walk test.
“All exercise modalities demonstrated statistically significant beneficial effects on general health and vitality, measured by the Short Form 36-item questionnaire.”
From Atrial Fibrillation in Elite Athletes: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature (2024) · cites this paper as [78]
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- Authors
- AbuElkhair, A., Boidin, M., Buckley, B. J. R., Lane, D. A., Williams, N. H., Thijssen, D., Lip, G. Y. H., & Barraclough, D. L.
- Affiliations
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Manchester Metropolitan University (GB)
- University of Liverpool (GB)
- Liverpool John Moores University (GB)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine
- Published
- 2022-11-03
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 87-95
- ISSN
- 1558-2027 (ISSN-L)
- 1558-2035
- OpenAlex
- W4313308190
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 0.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- vbn.aau.dk
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- VBN Forskningsportal (Aalborg Universitet) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- e-space (Manchester Metropolitan University) (acceptedVersion)
- Liverpool John Moores University (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Pfizer
- Ministry of Education, Libya
- Réseau québécois de recherche sur le vieillissement
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- Daiichi-Sankyo
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Health and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Keywords
- atrial fibrillation, exercise therapy, health-related quality of life, exercise capacity, aerobic interval training, qigong, yoga, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation, aerobic exercise, atrial fibrillation burden, atrial fibrillation recurrence, SF-36, 6-minute walk test, peak oxygen uptake
- MeSH terms
- Cardiac Rehabilitation, Atrial Fibrillation, Exercise Therapy, Humans, Quality of Life, Exercise
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