Physical activity and cardiac rehabilitation for the primary and secondary prevention of heart failure

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is a mounting global health and financial concern. With the introduction of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, outcomes for HF have improved dramatically in recent years, however, the increase in HF cases remains uncontrolled, and reliance on current medical treatment alone is no longer sufficient. Therefore, primary prevention through exercise habits and secondary prevention through cardiac rehabilitation (CR) are becoming increasingly important to reduce the number of HF cases. We have previously highlighted the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle in preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD), even in individuals with cancer. Our findings underscore the importance of incorporating regular exercise into lifestyle modification and highlight the critical role of exercise habits in primary prevention, especially in terms of CVD prevention. The importance of CR is emphasized in the many guidelines such as European, American, and Japanese guidelines. CR is given a Class I recommendation due to its association with improved prognosis for patients with HF. Furthermore, early initiation of CR is recommended, especially for older patients with HF, because CR has been reported to reduce the length of stay and prevent rehospitalization. In addition to the existing evidence, the Nationwide Population-Based Database in Japan has indicated the importance of CR in patients with acute HF and of enhancing gait speed in preventing HF. Although the importance of CR is recognized worldwide, actual utilization of CR by patients remains low. The challenge for the future is to raise awareness among attending physicians and patients about the importance of exercise habits and CR by actively promoting individualized rehabilitation.