Yoga, which focuses on breathing, meditation and relaxation, is associated with improved symptoms in heart failure patients, according to research presented today at the European Society of Cardiology's (ESC) scientific conference Heart Failure 2024. Ta.
Patients who took medication and did yoga felt better, were able to do more, and had stronger hearts than those who took heart failure medications alone. The results of this study suggest that yoga may be a beneficial complementary therapy for patients with heart failure. ”
Dr. Ajit Singh, study author, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Heart failure affects a huge number of people (more than 64 million worldwide) and can have a devastating impact on quality of life, leaving patients feeling tired, short of breath, and unable to participate in normal activities. may give. Previous studies have shown short-term benefits of yoga for people with heart failure, but this study provides new information about its long-term effects.
The study enrolled heart failure patients aged 30 to 70 years from the cardiology outpatient department of Kasturba Hospital in Manipal, India. All participants had undergone cardiac surgery within the past six months to one year and were taking guideline-recommended heart failure medications. Patients with severe symptoms were excluded.
Eighty-five patients participated in this study. The mean age was 49 years, and 70 (82%) were male. In a nonrandomized manner, 40 patients were assigned to the yoga group and 45 patients were assigned to the control group. All participants continued to take guideline-recommended heart failure medications for the duration of the study.
Experienced faculty from the hospital's yoga department demonstrated pranayama (yogic breathing), meditation and relaxation techniques to patients in the yoga group. Participants were supervised for one week and then advised to continue self-administered yoga for 50 minutes once a week at home. Patients spoke with the instructor after each home session to review their progress.
The researchers used echocardiography to assess heart structure and function in the yoga and control groups at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year. Measurements include evaluating the heart's ability to pump blood (left ventricular ejection fraction) and right ventricular function. The researchers also looked at blood pressure, heart rate, weight, and BMI. Symptom burden and ability to perform normal activities such as walking and climbing stairs were assessed using the New York Heart Association classification system.
Compared to the control group, the yoga group showed significant improvement on all measures at 6 months and 1 year compared to baseline.
Dr. Singh said, “Patients who practiced yoga had healthier hearts and were able to perform daily activities such as walking and climbing stairs compared to patients who only took medication.'' Patients should consult their doctor before starting yoga and only then.” Receive training from experienced instructors. Yoga should continue as usual for heart failure patients with severe symptoms who were excluded from the study. ”
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European Society of Cardiology
