Hypertension: The Acute and Chronic Response to Exercise

Monty C. Morales, MD, Neil L. Coplan, MD, Paul Zabetakis, MD, and Gilbert W. Gleim, PhD.

From the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and the Sections of Cardiology and Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital.

Hypertension is a significant risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, and lowering blood pressure in hypertensive individuals has been shown to reduce the likelihood of their developing secondary end-organ damage. There has been increasing interest in the use of exercise as a nonpharmacologic method for treating hypertension. In addition, there is evidence that the exercise test may play a role in identifying normotensive patients at increased risk for developing hypertension over a long-term follow-up period. This report reviews the acute and long-term effects of exercise on blood pressure, and examines the use of exercise as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool for patients with hypertension.

Am. Heart J., 1991;122:264-266