The Effect of the Physical Activity and Exercises on the Cardiovascular System of Individuals with Down Syndrom

Abstract

Individuals with Down syndrome seem to be more likely to have congenital heart disease (CHD). This situation has led to the need to investigate the effects of exercise and physical activity practices for adults with Down syndrome and to present the results by bringing them together. Because people should be aware of what kind of effects on the heart adults with Down syndrome will be exposed to before exercising. In this study, which is a systematic review study, the results of the studies published online were brought together and the problem situation was determined. Data collected from Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were evaluated according to the PRISMA flowchart. As a result, there are studies in which low-intensity and regular exercises have positive reflections on the cardiovascular systems. However, since there are studies showing that adults with Down syndrome have weaker cardiovescular systems, it can be thought that high-intensity exercises may force the cardiovescular systems of adults with Down syndrome and this may have negative consequences. Therefore, these factors should be considered when planning physical activity and exercise for adults with Down syndrome.