The physiology of exercise and its clinical implications in coronary heart disease

Exercise conditioning is a safe, effective therapeutic weapon in coronary heart disease (CHD) if correctly applied. This correct application presupposes, as would be the case in other forms of medical or surgical management, that the prescriber has a thorough knowledge of the underlying pathophysiology, both of the disease and of the cure. The physiology of exercise in normal persons is described in some detail, since similar effects apply in CHD patients. The training phenomenon, too, is similar in CHD sufferers, although it is less extensive than in athletes. Lastly, the alterations in physiology by which the patient can expect to benefit, are discussed.