One-year postintervention health-related physical fitness and quality of life among children and grown-up with congenital heart disease: An analysis from a tertiary cardiac care hospital, India

Background: Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) often show poor health-related physical fitness (HRPF) and quality of life (HRQoL). There is a paucity of evidence regarding postintervention HRPF and HRQoL in CHD patients in the Indian context. This study aims to assess HRPF and HRQoL 1 year after cardiac intervention and to compare this with age- and sex-matched normal controls. Methodology: A comparative and analytical study was conducted from October 2019 to October 2021 at a tertiary care cardiac hospital, among 165 patients above 2 years of age having CHD and 135 age-matched healthy controls. Patients who have hemodynamic instability, severe arrhythmia, heart failure, or other major congenital anomalies were excluded. HRQoL and HRPF were assessed at baseline and follow-up using PedsQL™ 3.0 cardiac module and FITNESSGRAM®, respectively. Results: Most patients were between 2 and 4 years of age and were male. The controls were age- and sex-matched. The most common CHDs were ventricular septal defects (23%) and atrial septal defects (21.9%). Cases with CHD showed significantly lower age-appropriate HRQoL, HRPF, and body mass index (BMI). The 2–3 years’ age group had a normal BMI. During follow-up, significant improvement was noted in HRQoL, HRPF, and BMI. Despite the improvement, HRQoL was significantly lower compared to controls. For HRPF and BMI, a mixed result was noted. In most of those parameters, the cases matched age-appropriate standards or even outperformed them. Conclusions: The present study showed that children with CHDs experienced a negative impact on their quality of life and physical fitness. HRQoL and HRPF were significantly improved after the intervention. CHD patients should be educated and encouraged to engage in routine physical activities. Counseling for appropriate physical activity should be provided during each patient interaction.