Self-estimated physical functioning poorly predicts actual exercise capacity in adolescents and adults with congenital heart disease

Aims: The aim of this study is to compare self-reported health-relatedquality-of-life (HRQoL) with the objective of exercise performancein patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) according todiagnosis. Methods and results: 564 patients (255 females, 14–73 years) with various CHD(62 shunt, 66 left heart obstruction, 33 PS/PR, 47 Ebstein,96 Fallot, 98 TGA after atrial switch, 38 other TGA, 31 Fontan,32 palliated/native cyanotic, 61 others) and a group of 53 healthycontrols (18 females, 14–57 years) completed a QoL questionnaire(SF-36) and performed a symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercisetest. Despite several limitations at exercise (P = 1.30 x 10^–33),patients only reported reductions in HRQoL concerning physicalfunctioning (P = 4.41 x 10^–15) and general health (P =6.17 x 10^–5) and not psychosocial aspects. This couldbe confirmed in all diagnostic subgroups. Correlation to peakoxygen uptake was found in physical functioning (r = 0.435,P = 1.72 x 10^–27) and general health (r = 0.275, P = 3.79x 10^–11). However, there was severe overestimation ofphysical functioning in most patients when compared with actualexercise test results. Conclusion: Patients with CHD rate their HRQoL impaired only in physicalfunctioning and general health and not in any psychosocial aspect.Self-estimated physical functioning poorly predicts actual exercisecapacity.