Recent evidence strongly suggests that regularaerobic exercisecan help reverse the stiffening of the heart muscle caused bydiastolic dysfunction.
A program of aerobic exercise canimprove the symptoms of diastolic dysfunctionand enhance the quality of life.
The beating phase is calledsystole, and the relaxation phase is called diastole.
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But equally important is an ability to rapidly fill the heart with blood during diastole.
Diastolic dysfunctiona stiff heart muscleprevents this rapid filling.
As a result, the amount of blood the heart can pump with each heartbeat is limited.
Patients with diastolic dysfunction typically have a limited exercise capacity, and they often complain ofdyspneaon relatively minimal exertion.
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