Abstract

Patients diagnosed with heart disease display diminished exercise tolerance, which can be attributed not only to a reduction in aerobic capacity but probably also to a strength deficit. The aim of this study was to estimate maximum dynamic strength of the quadriceps and the brachial biceps muscles in patients affected by chronic heart disease. Maximum strength was estimated by means of sub-maximal tests in 30 healthy sedentary volunteers and 140 male patients with chronic heart disease: 52 patients with coronary artery disease (CA D); 72 patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure (CHF); 16 patients who had undergone heart transplant (HT). Maximum strength estimate of the two muscles tested was significantly lower in patients diagnosed with heart disease compared to the control group. When patients were subdivided according to the type of disease, a clear trend among groups was displayed with maximum strength being higher in controls, followed by the CA D group, then the CHF group, and the HT group. In conclusion it seems possible to assert that maximum strength of both the muscle groups examined is significantly lower in patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease than in control subjects. Moreover, chronic cardiovascular patients are characterized by a muscular impairment that parallels the history of the disease. This information should be kept in mind when planning a rehabilitation program.

Keywords: Heart disease; Coronary angioplasty; Heart failure; Heart transplant; Maximum strength; Quadriceps; Brachial biceps