Effects of Exercise Training on Health Status in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

Abstract

Heart failure is a syndrome characterized by dyspnea and fatigue; however, patients with heart failure often also experience diminished health status, including reductions in physical and social functioning and other dimensions of health-related quality of life.^1,2 Pharmacological and device interventions and disease management programs for heart failure have provided little or modest improvements in health-related quality of life.^3,4 The extent to which exercise training in addition to optimal evidence-based therapy improves patients' health status is unknown.