title: Regular physical activity prevents development of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The longitudinal relationship between aerobic exercise and left ventricular (LV) mass in hypertension is not well known. We did a prospective study to investigate the long-term effect of regular physical activity on development of LV hypertrophy (LVH) in a cohort of young subjects screened for Stage 1 hypertension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We assessed 454 subjects whose physical activity status was consistent during the follow-up. Echocardiographic LV mass was measured at entry, every 5 years, and/or at the time of hypertension development before starting treatment. LVH was defined as an LV mass >/=50 g/m(2.7) in men and >/=47 g/m(2.7) in women. During a median follow-up of 8.3 years, 32 subjects developed LVH (sedentary, 10.3%; active, 1.7%, P = 0.000). In a logistic regression, physically active groups combined (n = 173) were less likely to develop LVH than sedentary group with a crude OR = 0.15 (CI, 0.05-0.52). After controlling for sex, age, family history for hypertension, hypertension duration, body mass, blood pressure, baseline LV mass, lifestyle factors, and follow-up length, the OR was 0.24 (CI, 0.07-0.85). Blood pressure declined over time in physically active subjects (-5.1 +/- 17.0/-0.5 +/- 10.2 mmHg) and slightly increased in their sedentary peers (0.0 +/- 15.3/0.9 +/- 9.7 mmHg, adjusted P vs. active = 0.04/0.06). Inclusion of changes in blood pressure over time into the logistic model slightly decreased the strength of the association between physical activity status and LVH development (OR = 0.25, CI, 0.07-0.87).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regular physical activity prevents the development of LVH in young stage 1 hypertensive subjects. This effect is independent from the reduction in blood pressure caused by exercise.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Medica 4, University of Padova, via Giustiniani, 2, 35128 Padova, Italy. palatini@unipd.it
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Palatini
authors.forename: Pieralberto
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Visentin
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dorigatti
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guarnieri
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santonastaso
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cozzio
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pegoraro
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bortolazzi
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vriz
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004452:Echocardiography; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult