Physical activity restriction for children and adolescents diagnosed with an inherited arrhythmia or cardiomyopathy and its impact on body mass index

BACKGROUND Historically, individuals diagnosed with an inherited arrhythmia or cardiomyopathy have been advised to avoid participating in competitive sports. Consequently, these individuals may be more susceptible to weight gain and obesity. METHODS A retrospective longitudinal chart review was performed for a population of children with a genetic or clinical diagnosis of the long-QT syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. We recorded the physical activity recommendation, postdiagnosis sports participation, and body mass index (BMI) over time. RESULTS A total of 109 charts were reviewed. Some level of physical activity restriction was documented for the majority of phenotype-positive children (80%) but was less common for phenotype-negative children (37%) (P