title: Blood pressure response during maximal exercise in apparently healthy men and women.
abstract: The blood pressure (BP) response during a maximal ergometer bicycle test was studied in 190 apparently healthy subjects (95 men and 95 women) aged 21-70 years. The starting load was 50 W and was increased by 50 W every 4 min until exhaustion. Mean physical performance expressed as cumulative work was 2276 +/- 789 W in men and 1109 +/- 276 W in women (P less than 0.0001). The maximum heart rate was similar in men and women and declined significantly with age (r = -0.78, P less than 0.001 for men and r = -0.64, P less than 0.0001 for women). The mean maximal systolic blood pressure (MSBP) was 193 +/- 23 mmHg in men and 171 +/- 21 mmHg in women (P less than 0.0001). Men aged greater than or equal to 50 years had a MSBP of 201 +/- 22 mmHg, compared to 188 +/- 22 mmHg in those aged less than 50 years (P less than 0.01). Women aged greater than or equal to 60 years had a MSBP of 190 +/- 21 mmHg compared to 166 +/- 19 mmHg in their younger counterparts (P less than 0.001). The diastolic BP showed a similar modest increase at all ages and in both sexes. SBP is dependent on age and gender and this must be taken into consideration when assessing a normal response in individual patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Vestfold Central Hospital, Tønsberg, Norway.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michelsen
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Otterstad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors