Danish medical journal
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Repaired aortic coarctation(CoA) is associated with high long-term cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Persisting hypertension and left ventricular dysfunction are possibly associated with residual or recurrent aortic arch obstruction (ReCoA) and abnormal activation of vasoactive hormones. Furthermore, knowledge regarding these patients' functional health status late after repair is missing. ⋯ Surgical correction of CoA only repairs the anatomical narrowing, but not the associated vasculo- and valvulopathy. Increased left ventricular mass, systolic and diastolic dysfunction, aortic valve dysfunction, aortopathy, and hypertension are common. Morbidity is only weakly associated with mild and moderate degrees of ReCoA, and not associated with changes in vasoactive hormone levels and renal function. Despite late morbidity, functional health status is overall only slightly impaired in patients after surgical correction of CoA compared with healthy subjects. Nevertheless, the subgroup with reduced exercise capacity and need for cardiovascular medications have a considerable impairment of both physical and mental aspects of functional health.