Haemodynamic effects of static and dynamic exercise in males with arterial hypertension of varying severity

Abstract

Sustained handgrip at 30% of the maximal strength and submaximal supine bicycle exercise elicited mean blood pressure increases of similar magnitude in healthy males and in men with essential hypertension WHO Stage 1 and 2, but with different contributions of systolic and diastolic blood pressure changes. While systolic blood pressure exceeded 22.7 kPa (170 mmHg) during static exercise in every hypertensive man, this did not occur in any of the control subjects. During dynamic exercise, the arterial blood pressure increase per litre increase in cardiac output was significantly less than during static exercise, indicating different patterns of circulatory adaptation to these two forms of stress. Combination of dynamic and static exercise tests might be of value for identifying subjects with a hypertensive pattern of circulatory regulation.