Lasting drop in activity linked to heart hospital stays and death
Heart patients with declining activity had a hazard ratio of 1.59 for cardiovascular hospitalization and 2.54 for death compared with those with stable activity.
Limit: Worsening heart disease could cause activity decline, so the order may be reversed
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
A multisite cohort of 3,242 patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices—heart devices such as pacemakers—had an average age of 71.1 years and included 43.4% women. A retrospective observational study tracked their physical activity using device sensors from March 2019 through July 2024. Following the March 2020 pandemic lockdown in North Carolina, patients followed three activity patterns: 63.2% remained stable, 19.6% declined, and 17.2% increased.
After adjusting for age, sex, device type, and other medical conditions, declining activity was linked to higher risk. Compared with patients whose activity remained stable, those with declining activity had a hazard ratio of 1.59 for cardiovascular hospitalization and 2.54 for death. Accounting for the competing risk of death, the hazard ratio for cardiovascular hospitalization remained 1.59. Patients with increasing activity had similar risks of hospitalization and death to the stable group.
Why it matters
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of illness and death in older adults. Continuous activity tracking through implanted heart devices may help identify vulnerable older patients who could benefit from early preventive interventions.
Caveats
The retrospective observational design cannot establish that falling physical activity caused the hospitalizations or deaths. In addition, the findings were reported in a conference abstract and may not apply to younger people or those without implanted heart devices.
The paper
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
ESC Congress 2026 Abstract, Oct 26, 2026
Presented at ESC Congress 2026