Common heart defect - repaired or not - may limit exercise ability

(American Heart Association) Adults born with a hole in their heart may lose 20% or more of their exercise capacity regardless of surgical repair.Young adults with the defect are known to have poorer exercise ability than their healthy counterparts, however, it is unclear if exercise capacity would deteriorate with age.Based on these findings, researchers suggest adults born with the heart defect continue outpatient follow-up care for their entire life.