title: Post-exercise effects on aortic wave reflection derived from wave separation analysis in young- to middle-aged pre-hypertensives and hypertensives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Decreases in brachial blood pressure (BP) may occur for several hours following a bout of exercise. Although aortic backward waves predict cardiovascular damage independent of brachial BP, whether decreases in aortic backward waves also occur post-exercise in young-to-middle-aged hypertensives, the extent to which these changes exceed brachial BP changes, and the best method of identifying these changes is uncertain.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined aortic function at baseline and 15-min post-exercise in 20 pre-hypertensive or hypertensive men and women (age 45 ± 7 years). Central aortic pressure, forward (Pf) and backward (Pb) wave pressures, the reflection index (RI) and augmentation pressure (AP) and index (AIx) were determined using applanation tonometry, and SphygmoCor software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Decreases in central aortic (p < 0.001) but not brachial systolic BP and pulse pressure (PP) occurred post-exercise. In addition, decreases in post-exercise (baseline versus post-exercise) Pb (19 ± 4 vs 13 ± 3 mm Hg p < 0.0001), RI (72.9 ± 22.1 vs 47.6 ± 12.8 %, p < 0.0001), AIx (26.3 ± 10.8 vs 7.8 ± 11.6 %, p < 0.0001) and AP (9.9 ± 3.9 vs 2.8 ± 3.9 mm Hg, p < 0.0001), but not Pf, were noted. However, decreases in AIx were not correlated with decreases in Pb, and whilst decreases in aortic PP correlated with decreases in Pb (p < 0.0001), no correlations were noted with decreases in AP or AIx.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In young-to-middle-aged pre-hypertensive and hypertensive individuals, aortic backward waves decrease post-exercise; this change is not reflected in brachial BP measurements and is poorly indexed by measures of pressure augmentation.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Genomics Research Unit, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa. aletta.millen@wits.ac.za.
authors.forename: Aletta M E
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Millen
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Genomics Research Unit, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.
authors.forename: Angela J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Woodiwiss
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Genomics Research Unit, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.
authors.forename: Gavin R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Norton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D001011:Aorta / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: Aerobic exercise; Forward wave; Reflected wave