Exercise is important for people with Marfan’s syndrome. Being in good physical and mental shape increases activity tolerance, lowers blood pressure, reduces body weight, regulates metabolic and gastrointestinal function, increases bone density and strength, and often leads to good lifestyle habits such as stopping smoking and alcohol abuse and increasing nutrition. The following points should be clear to Marfan patients and their families as well as to sportspeople and physicians who supervise the physical activity of Marfan patients.
Connective tissue changes that cause Marfan’s syndrome The effect of different forms of exercise on Marfan’s syndrome The basic guidelines that enable people with Marfan’s to participate safely in sports are among the many components of connective tissue is a protein called microfibrillar protein, and in people with Marfan’s syndrome, various abnormalities in microfibrillar protein are caused by genetic mutations. The result is that some structures of the body are weaker than normal. Because of this inherent weakness, sports require some adjustments, and tissue fragility varies from patient to patient, especially in the aortic wall, ligaments, joints and eyes, so recommended sports vary from person to person.
What are the differences between the various sports and competitions
Exercises can be classified according to a number of characteristics. The intensity of aerobic exercise allows the organism to use oxygen to produce energy. A balance can be achieved between the oxygen demand of the muscles and the oxygen supply of the organism. If you exercise with some reserve, then you are performing aerobic exercise.
During anaerobic exercise, the cells have to rely on internal energy because there is not enough oxygen, and the body feels fatigue because the internal energy is quickly consumed. Anaerobic exercise is usually very intense and puts more stress on the tissues and cardiovascular.
When the muscles contract throughout, such as when throwing a ball or running, this exercise is called isotonic exercise, and when the muscles contract but do not move, such as when lifting weights or pushing a heavy piece of furniture, this exercise is called isotonic exercise. Isotonic exercise has a greater effect than isotonic exercise on increasing blood pressure and increasing the tension of the heart and aorta. Most sports include both isotonic and isovolumetric exercises and aerobic and anaerobic exercises. The energy consumption of the exercise depends on the nature of the exercise, the level of effort of the exerciser, whether it is a group exercise or not, and even the role of the participant.
Exercises can be classified according to the risk of collision and the degree of strain, as follows.
When using this chart for your particular situation, be aware that many kinds of sports can fall into different categories depending on the intensity of your participation, and discuss with your doctor the activities you will be involved in and how to monitor the intensity of the sport so that it is within a safe range.
Sports with a high potential for contact/collision and stress.
Basketball, boxing, field hockey, soccer, lacrosse, military events, cowboys, water skiing, rugby, wrestling.
Sports with limited contact and tension.
Baseball, cycling (strenuous), gymnastics, horseback riding, ice skating, skiing, softball, squash, volleyball.
Sports without contact but intense.
Group aerobics, fast running, weight lifting.
No contact, mildly intense exercises.
Aerobics (low intensity), badminton, slow cycling, jogging, swimming (slow), table tennis, tennis.
Sports without contact and without tension.
Golf, bowling, shooting, walking.
Patients with Marfan syndrome should avoid contact sports to prevent injury to the aorta and eyes. Stressful sports should also be avoided to reduce the pressure on the aorta. Each activity also has a different level of strenuousness, such as shooting baskets in the backyard versus participating in a basketball game, and riding 10 miles per hour on a flat surface versus racing at a racetrack. Competitive sports should be avoided at all costs.
In summary, every patient with Marfan’s syndrome should discuss with their physician what type of exercise to perform and how strenuous it should be in order to perform safe physical activity.
When starting or adding to an exercise program, assess current physical fitness, health status and medication use. Many people with Marfan’s syndrome take beta-blockers, a drug that reduces heart rate during quiet and exercise states and makes it more difficult to reach a set level of fitness after a certain amount of exercise has been performed. beta-blockers can protect the aorta while increasing exercise tolerance and strength. However, very intense or contact exercise should not be performed.
Patients who have had a prosthetic mechanical valve replaced are given an anticoagulant, Warfarin. This drug impedes clotting and increases the risk of contusion and internal bleeding. Patients taking Warfarin should avoid contact sports to minimize the risk of head or abdominal impact. Always wear a high quality helmet when riding a bicycle.
Patients with Marfan’s syndrome should be aware of the following when engaging in physical activity.
1. It is best to perform non-competitive, isotonic, non-stressful, aerobic exercise. It is best if the exercise can be rested at any time if you feel strained during the exercise. It is best to exercise without stopping sharply, turning sharply or colliding with others or touching the ground. Some beneficial activities are brisk walking, slow riding, walking, shooting, slow playing tennis and 1-3 dumbbells.
2.Select a favorite exercise that can be performed four times a week for 20-30 minutes each time, such as by time constraints, three 10-minute periods of exercise is equivalent to one 30-minute period of exercise.
3, keep the intensity of exercise at aerobic levels (and 50% of the potential). If you are taking a beta blocker or verapamil, limit your heart rate to 100 beats per minute, or 110 beats per minute if you are not on medication. It is easier to feel arterial pulsations in the neck than in the wrist.
4. Daily routine should be relaxed and appropriate activities should be performed. Avoid weight-bearing, exhale when lifting heavy objects upward, and do not force yourself to do anything.
5.Avoid isotonic muscle activities, such as lifting weights, climbing steep slopes or pulling heavy objects.
6, do not test your limits. It is harder for students to do fitness tests or participate in competitive sports. Be sure your child is participating in moderate physical activity at school.
7, to avoid activities that have atmospheric pressure changes, such as diving with a respirator, flying in an open aircraft. People with Marfan’s syndrome are prone to pneumothorax.
8, exercise is important to maintain the physical and mental health of people with Marfan’s. The average life expectancy of Marfan’s patients is now close to 70 years, and regular light exercise is a good measure to maintain good health.