In a nutshell
This paper studied whether a home-based walking program could improve erectile dysfunction in men who had a heart attack.
Some background
After a heart attack, some patients experience erectile dysfunction (inability to have or maintain an erection). It is suggested that exercise training could help to improve erectile dysfunction.
Methods & findings
The current study examined whether a home-based walking program could improve erectile function in men following a hear attack.
86 patients who had experienced a sudden heart attack and were at low risk for heart complications were included in the study. Patients followed an in-hospital ,supervised exercise program, 2 times a day, starting 12 hours after the heart attack. After discharge from the hospital, patients were randomly assigned to either a home-based walking program (41 patients) or usual care (45 patients, general information about exercise). The walking program was unsupervised and involved exercise 4 times a week, for one month. The walking program consisted of 3 phases: a warmup period; an endurance training period and a cool-down period. Erectile dysfunction was assessed. The ability of the heart to function was measured based on how far each patient could walk in 6 minutes.
Overall, 84% of all patients had erectile dysfunction prior to their heart attack. At 30 days after discharge, the rate of erectile dysfunction increased by 9% in the usual care group. Patients taking part in the walking program had a 71% decreased occurrence of erectile dysfunction.
Patients in both groups could walk further in 6 minutes compared to at the start of the study. However, patients who received usual care improved in walking distance by 6.6% while patients who took part in the home-based walking program improved in walking distance by 16.5%.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that the home-based walking program improved both heart and erectile function.
The fine print
Only patients with low-risk of heart complications were studied.
What’s next?
Talk to your doctor about exercising after a heart attack.
Published By :
The American journal of cardiology
Date :
Mar 01, 2015
