[Experiences with running therapy in essential hypertension]

The authors report about a long-term study (three months) on blood pressure and heart rate at rest and during exercise (50 W) in hypertensive patients (WHO stadium I and I, n = 24) running twice a week. The control group were 15 healthy people who were running as well. In addition, the peripheral microcirculation (musculus tibialis anterior) was recorded by the Xenon-133 muscle clearance method and the cardiac output by means of radiocardiography (Indium 113m) as parameter of central hemodynamics. A positive influence of running on hypertension and hemodynamics, resulting in a significant decrease of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a significant improvement of the peripheral microcirculation was registered. The measured values of blood pressure, heart rate and cardiac output show that there was no cardial risk caused by running at a velocity of 2 to 2.5 m/s.