Effect of exercise training in patients with essential hypertension

After 12 weeks of regular exercise training in 34 patients with moderate essential hypertension, supine systolic blood pressure at rest decrease from 152 +/- 2 (means +/- SEM) to 149 +/- 2 mmHg (p less than 0.05), and diastolic blood pressure from 106 +/- 1 to 102 +/- 1 mmHg (p less than 0.001). At corresponding submaximal exercise levels, diastolic blood pressure also decreased significantly from 110 +/- 2 to 98 +/- 3 mmHg (p less than 0.001), but no significant reduction in systolic blood pressure was observed. Heart rate at the same submaximal work load was significantly reduced (p less than 0.01). This data shows that exercise training might have blood pressure lowering effect in patients with moderate essential hypertension, and might in some patients be an alternative to pharmacological treatment.