Blood Pressure Behaviour During Physical Activity

Abstract

Aerobic exercise is currently being recommended in addition to pharmacological therapy for lowering blood pressure levels in hypertensive patients, i.e. in subjects whose resting blood pressure levels exceed 145/90 mm Hg. On the other hand competitive sports are generally contraindicated in hypertensives, who are thought to be at increased risk of morbidity or mortality from their blood pressure levels. The present knowledge of blood pressure behaviour during isotonic physical activity is almost wholly based on the results obtained by means of the ergometric tests. Several maximal and submaximal exercise protocols have been introduced, but none has proved to be superior for diagnostic purposes. There is general agreement that the systolic blood pressure increase determined by isotonic exercise usually ranges from 50 to 70 mm Hg in both normotensive or hypertensive subjects. Diastolic blood pressure shows only minor changes in the normotensives, while in the hypertensives it tends to substantially increase because of their inability to adequately reduce their peripheral resistance. This mechanism may also explain the delay shown by the hypertensives in reaching pre-exercise blood pressure values during the recovery. On average diastolic blood pressure increases to a greater extent during bicycle ergometry than during treadmill, while no differences in exertional systolic blood pressure have been observed between the 2 tests. The results of several studies indicate that the blo…