Blood pressure and heart rate dynamics during and after exercise in an unselected population

It has been suggested that the systolic blood pressure (SBP) response to exercise may be useful in predicting future hypertension. However, controversy exists as to whether the SBP response to exercise in borderline hypertensives is actually greater than normotensives or merely increases equally but from a higher resting value. Our aim was to determine the influence of resting SBP, age and sex on changes of SSP during exercise for both healthy subjects and untreated mild hypertensives. Three hundred and eighteen (230 males) underwent a self limited exercise protocol. SBP was measured at baseline and between the 2nd and 3rd minutes of each exercise stage. Age was positively related to SBP at rest and during exercise. The magnitude of SBP change induced by exercise was similar irrespective of the level of resting SBP. The relationship between resting SBP and the absolute SBP change which occurred during exercise was independent of sex. Our findings indicate that (i) age is positively related to SBP at rest and during exercise, (ii) SBP rises equally during exercise irrespective of its resting level and (iii) males and females have a similar pattern of BP response to exercise.