Dancing may improve health for patients with heart failure

AORN Journal, Jan, 2007

Patients with chronic heart failure who dance for exercise achieve functional improvements similar to patients who perform aerobic exercise, and patients who dance experience a higher increase in quality of Life, according to a Nov 12, 2006, news release from the American Heart Association. Previous research has found that dancing--specifically slow and fast waltzing--was sale for patients with heart disease of who had suffered previous heart attacks, and also improved functional capacity and quality of life.

Researchers studied 110 patients with stable chronic heart failure (ie, the heart's pumping ability was less than 40%). Three times a week for eight weeks, 44 participants performed supervised exercise training (eg, cycling, walking on a treadmill) and 44 participants danced the waltz, alternating between slow and fast waltzes for 21 minutes; 22 participants did not exercise. Participants' heart rates were monitored during exercise and dancing sessions, and all participants underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing to gauge functional ability and imaging tests on their arteries at the start of the study and after eight weeks. Patients also completed a questionnaire to rate their quality of life, which included questions on sleeping ability; participation in hobbies and housework; sexual activity; level of worry; depression; and other aspects of daily life.

After eight weeks, participants who did exercise training and those who danced showed improvement in functional capacity and quality of life, but participants who did not exercise showed no improvement. Cardiopulmonary fitness and ventilatory response increased at similar tales in participants who exercised and those who danced, with the dancing group experiencing slightly greater increases. In addition, participants who exercised and danced had arteries with a greater capacity to dilate and cardiac fibers that became more elastic compared to participants who did not exercise.

Quality of Life improved significantly in the dancing group compared to the exercise group, with scores improving an average of 15 points in the dancing group compared to an average of 10 points in the exercise group. No participants withdrew from the study because of adverse events, indicating that dancing is a sale form of exercise for patients with heart failure, according to the researchers.

Heart Failure Patients Can Waltz Their Way to Healthier Hearts [news release]. Chicago: American Heart Association; November 12, 2006. Available at: http://www.ameri canheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3043386. Accessed December 4, 2006.