title: Exercise BP response in subjects with high-normal BP: exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise and risk of future hypertension in subjects with high-normal blood pressure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to assess the clinical usefulness of an exaggerated blood pressure (BP) response to exercise (EBPR) in predicting the development of hypertension from a high-normal state.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Exaggerated BP response during both dynamic and isometric exercises are associated with increased risk of future hypertension, while the significance of these responses concerning the identification of individuals with high-normal BP who are prone to develop hypertension is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population comprised a sample of 239 men with high-normal BP (aged 42.3 +/- 5.9 years) who underwent a symptom-limited bicycle ergometer exercise testing at baseline and then were followed for 5.1 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the subjects in the upper quartile of BP response to exercise had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of hypertension on follow-up than those in the middle two and lower quartiles (log-rank test, p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards survival model showed that the EBPR was significantly and independently associated with the risk of developing hypertension after adjustment for some traditional risk factors for hypertension (RR = 2.31, 95% confidence interval = 1.45 to 6.25).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that an EBPR is an important risk factor for new-onset hypertension from a high-normal state and, thus, exercise testing can provide valid information that may help identify individuals with high-normal BP at a greater risk of future hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Wakayama Medical University, Japan. miyain@wakayama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arita
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morioka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies