title: Effects of acute and chronic exercise in patients with essential hypertension: benefits and risks.
abstract: The importance of regular physical activity in essential hypertension has been extensively investigated over the last decades and has emerged as a major modifiable factor contributing to optimal blood pressure control. Aerobic exercise exerts its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system by promoting traditional cardiovascular risk factor regulation, as well as by favorably regulating sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, molecular effects, cardiac, and vascular function. Benefits of resistance exercise need further validation. On the other hand, acute exercise is now an established trigger of acute cardiac events. A number of possible pathophysiological links have been proposed, including SNS, vascular function, coagulation, fibrinolysis, and platelet function. In order to fully interpret this knowledge into clinical practice, we need to better understand the role of exercise intensity and duration in this pathophysiological cascade and in special populations. Further studies in hypertensive patients are also warranted in order to clarify the possibly favorable effect of antihypertensive treatment on exercise-induced effects.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece;
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gkaliagkousi
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Papageorgiou Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. elenicelli@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gavriilaki
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Papageorgiou Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Douma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: activity; acute; blood pressure; chronic; essential hypertension; exercise; hypertension; physical.