title: Low-intensity isometric handgrip exercise has no transient effect on blood pressure in patients with coronary artery disease.
abstract: Hypertension is highly prevalent among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation reduces blood pressure (BP). However, less is known about the transient effect of a single bout of exercise on BP. Isometric handgrip exercise has been proposed as a new nonpharmacologic tool to lower BP. We aimed to investigate the acute effect of isometric handgrip exercise on BP in CAD patients. Twenty-one male CAD patients were included. All patients completed two experimental sessions in random order: one control and one low-intensity isometric handgrip session. BP was measured by means of a 24-hour ambulatory BP monitor preintervention, for 1 hour in the office and subsequently for 24 hours. Our results suggest that isometric handgrip exercise performed at low intensity is safe in patients with CAD but does not induce a transient reduction in BP.
authors.affiliation: Research Group for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goessler
authors.affiliation: Research Group for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Roselien
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buys
authors.affiliation: Research Group for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: Veronique.cornelissen@faber.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Véronique A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Cornelissen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057774:Post-Exercise Hypotension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Acute; coronary artery disease; isometric handgrip; postexercise