Twenty-four hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to evaluate effects on blood pressure of physical activity in hypertensive patients.
OBJECTIVE
Elevated blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Several studies have demonstrated that physical exercise reduces blood pressure levels in hypertensive subjects and improves control of several well-known risk factors for atherosclerosis such as diabetes mellitus, blood lipid profile and obesity. Our group attempted to evaluate if an exercise program based on periodic controlled fast walking sessions would reduce blood pressure levels in hypertensive subjects.


METHODS
We enrolled hypertensive subjects not suffering from obesity (Body Mass Index < 30) already under pharmacological therapy; in these subjects we performed a six-week program of mobility exercise based on fast walking.


METHODS
Secondary care.


METHODS
We enrolled 189 subjects; 168 subjects completed the training period. Entry criteria were Stage I WHO hypertension in pharmacological treatment, BMI < 30, and absence of any pathological condition resulting in reduced mobility.


METHODS
A six-week mobility program centered on fast walking.


METHODS
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels before and after the walking program.


RESULTS
Mean 24 h systolic blood pressure changed from 143.1 to 135.5 mmHg. Mean 24 h diastolic blood pressure changed from 91.1 to 84.8 mmHg.


CONCLUSIONS
This reduction, evaluated with Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM), confirms that physical exercise should be a part of lifestyle changes for the management of hypertension both in untreated hypertensive patients or high-risk subjects for hypertension, and also for hypertensive patients in association with pharmacological therapy.
Pinto
Antonio
A
Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy. pinto@neomedia.it
Di Raimondo
Domenico
D
Tuttolomondo
Antonino
A
Fernandez
Paola
P
Arnao
Valentina
V
Arna
Valentina
V
Licata
Giuseppe
G
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016138:Walking