8. Exaggerated Blood Pressure Response to Exercise is Associated with Arterial Stiffening in Pre-Hypertensive Patients

Background Individuals with a systolic BP of 120 to 139 mmHg or a diastolic BP of 80 to 89 mmHg should be considered as pre-hypertensive. however limited evidence exists on whether the early drug intervention is needed according to identification of other cardiovascular risk factors except diabetes. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) as an index of aortic stiffening is known recently as a new predictor for future cardiovascular events. We examined the relation between PWV and blood pressure response during exercise in the patients with pre-hypertension, because exaggerated blood pressure response during exercise even in asymptomatic normotensive individuals is associated with other established cardiovascular risk factors. Methods 96 consecutive patients with pre-hypertension were monitored during symptom-limited incremental exercise testing with treadmill. Cuff blood pressure was measured every minute during exercise testing with automatic indirect manometer. Results Although there were no significant differences in diastolic blood pressure at rest and at the peak exercise between the patients with high PWV (≥15% higher than age-matched average value, n=39) and those with low PWV(