Physical Activity and Diet Quality: Effects on Cardiovascular Morbidity in Women with Turner Syndrome-Results from an Online Patient Survey

Turner syndrome (TS) is a rare chromosomal disease with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of physical activity and diet quality on cardiovascular morbidity in German TS women. An anonymous online questionnaire was established. The questionnaire was based on the 2020 WHO recommendations on physical activity and sedentary behaviour and included the 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Assessment Tool. In addition, TS patients were asked about existing cardiovascular conditions. In total, 83 TS women were included in the final analysis. The achievement of <600 Metabolic Equivalent-minutes per week for recreational activities was significantly associated with the presence of arterial hypertension (p = 0.006). High adherence to the Mediterranean diet was achieved by only 20.5% of TS subjects and tended to be inversely associated with the presence of lipid metabolism disorders (p = 0.063). Only 37.3% of TS participants received nutritional counselling. Given the increased cardiovascular risk, specific counselling for lifestyle optimisation may play an important role in the management of TS. Further studies are required to evaluate the effects of regular aerobic physical training and different nutritional programs on cardiovascular morbidity in TS.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the impact of physical activity and diet quality on cardiovascular morbidity in German women with Turner syndrome (TS). The results showed that failure to achieve <600 Metabolic Equivalent-minutes per week for recreational activities was significantly associated with the presence of arterial hypertension. Only 20.5% of TS women had high adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which tended to be inversely associated with the presence of lipid metabolism disorders.