Vigorous Exercise in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Recent evidence displaying relative safety with participation in higher levels of exercise in young HCM patients has begun to shift the clinical framework for exercise recommendations in this population to favor a shared decision-making approach, allowing patients to participate in long-term health-promoting exercise activities. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic heart condition occurring in up to 1 in 200 patients in the United States, many of whom are young and otherwise healthy. This condition puts those affected at increased risk for adverse cardiac outcomes, including sudden cardiac arrest and death, with particular concern for this to occur during exercise and other forms of exertion. Recent studies aimed at evaluating the risk of exercise in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients have suggested that moderate and even vigorous exercise may be safe for certain patients. Clinical guidelines are changing to reflect this recent information and to encourage a shared decision-making approach, which can allow more hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients to participate in health-promoting exercise activities.