The Effect of 4-week Isometric Handgrip Exercise on Changes of Flow Mediated Dilation and Blood Pressure in Females Suffering from Hypertension

Introduction: Hypertension contributes significantly to worldwide cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. As a matter of fact, hypertension appears to have a complex association with endothelial dysfunction. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of 4-week isometric handgrip exercise on changes of flow mediated dilation (FMD) and blood pressure within females suffering from hypertension. Methods: The study participants consisted of 14 women aged 30-55, who were selected on the basis of their BMI as well as sort of consumed medicine for their hypertension. All the participants were trained three times per week for 4 weeks. FMD brachial artery and blood pressure were assessed before the exercises beginning and 24 hours after the last exercise session. The study data were analyzed using dependent t-test (pretest-posttest design) at significance level of p=0.05. Results: According to the study results, significant changes were observed in regard with FMD, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure (p= 0.001, p=0.006, and p= 0.001 respectively) in the experimented group. Conclusion: The findings of the present study demonstrated that isometric handgrip exercise, producing a positive effect on the endothelial function, can potentially reverse the endothelial dysfunction in females suffering from hypertension.