Association of physical activity with arterial stiffness in resistant hypertension patients

Arterial stiffness is an important determinant of the cardiac work efficiency and it has been shown to be a predictor of increased cardiovascular risk and all-cause mortality. Several studies have found a beneficial role of physical activity (PA) on blood pressure (BP) levels and arterial stiffness among healthy populations and cardiovascular patients. Conversely, sedentary behavior has been harmfully associated with an increased carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV), the gold-standard measure of arterial stiffness. Nonetheless, little is known about the relationship between PA and vascular health among patients with resistant hypertension. Garcia et al aimed to investigate the association of PA levels and sedentary time with arterial stiffness and brachial and central BP, in patients with resistant hypertension. A significant negative correlation was found between light PA (2421.5±806.8 minutes) and cf-PWV (8.5 [7.7-9.8] m/s, ρ=-0.389, p=0.045). cf-PWV was also inversely correlated with total PA (2624.7±834.6 minutes, ρ=-0.410, p=0.034).