Congenital heart disease: functional abilities in young adults

Muscular endurance, motor abilities, childhood activities, school experiences, work plans, and social behaviors of 188 young adults aged 16 to 23 years with congenital heart disease were examined. The subjects had isolated aortic stenosis, pulmonary stenosis, or tetralogy of Fallot. Overall, physical function scores were slightly below average. Childhood activities had been affected in about 30% of the cases, but seriously disrupted in only 17%. School experiences had been positive, and 68% of the students in school planned to continue on to college or university or were already there. Normal social behavior was much more common than antisocial behavior. Subjects had few specific health worries, although many wanted more information about lifestyle implications of their heart disease.