EFFECT OF EXERCISE TRAINING IN PATIENTS WITH ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION

. After 12 weeks of regular exercise training in 34 patients with moderate essential hypertension, supine systolic blood pressure at rest decrease from 152+2 (means+SEM) to 149+2 mmHg (p<0.05), and diastolic blood pressure from 106+1 to 102+1 mmHg (p<0.001). At corresponding submaximal exercise levels, diastolic blood pressure also decreased significantly from 110+2 to 98+3 mmHg (p<0.001), but no significant reduction in systolic blood pressure was observed. Heart rate at the same submaximal work load was significantly reduced (p<0.0). This data shows that exercise training might have blood pressure lowering effect in patients with moderate essential hypertension, and might in some patients be an alternative to pharma-cological treatment.