Relation between blood pressure at rest and perception of angina pectoris during exercise testing

We demonstrated that the prevalence of painful myocardial ischemia during exercise testing was 20% in patients with high blood pressure at rest (systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg) and 36% in patients with normal blood pressure at rest(systolic blood pressure < or = 140 mm Hg). Thus, blood pressure at rest appears to be related to pain perception in cardiac patients.