The Effects of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Blood Pressure, Arterial Function, and Heart Rate Variability in Men Living With HIV.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the effects of acute cycling on blood pressure (BP), arterial function, and heart rate variability (HRV) in men living with HIV (MLHIV) using combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). METHODS: Twelve MLHIV (48.7 ± 9.2 years; 25.2 ± 2.8 kg m-2) and 13 healthy controls (41.2 ± 9.9 years; 26.3 ± 2.9 kg m-2) performed a cycling bout (ES) (intensity 50% oxygen uptake reserve; duration time to achieve 150 kcal-MLHIV 24.1 ± 5.5 vs. controls 23.1 ± 3.0 min; p = 0.45), and a 20-min non-exercise session (NES). RESULTS: At rest (p < 0.05), MLHIV presented higher brachial systolic/diastolic BP (SBP/DBP 123.2 ± 14.2/76.8 ± 6.3 vs. 114.3 ± 5.1/71.6 ± 2.6 mmHg) and central BP (cSBP/cDBP 108.3 ± 9.3/76.5 ± 6.5 vs. 101.6 ± 4.9/71.3 ± 4.4 mmHg) vs. controls but lower absolute maximal oxygen uptake (2.1 ± 0.5 vs. 2.5 ± 0.3 L min-1) and HRV indices reflecting overall/vagal modulation (SDNN 24.8 ± 7.1 vs. 42.9 ± 21.3 ms; rMSSD 20.5 ± 8.5 vs. 38.1 ± 22.8 ms; pNN50 3.6 ± 4.2 vs. 13.6 ± 11.3%). DBP postexercise lowered in controls vs. MLHIV (∼4 mmHg, p < 0.001; ES 0.6). Moreover, controls vs. MLHIV had greater reductions (p < 0.05) in augmentation index (-13.6 ± 13.7 vs. -3.1 ± 7.2% min-1; ES 2.4), and HRV indices up to 5 min (rMSSD -111.8 ± 32.1 vs. -75.9 ± 22.2 ms min-1; ES 3.8; pNN50 -76.3 ± 28.3 vs. -19.0 ± 13.7% min-1; ES 4.4). Within-group (ES vs. NES; p < 0.05) reductions occurred in controls for SBP (∼10 mmHg, 2 h), DBP (∼6 mmHg, 20, 30, and 70 min), cSBP (∼9 mmHg, 30 min), cDBP (∼7 mmHg, 30 and 70 min), augmentation index (∼10%, 30 min), and pNN50 (∼20%; up to 2 h), while in MLHIV only cSBP (∼6 mmHg, 70 min) and cDBP (∼4 mmHg, 30 min) decreased. Similar increases (up to 5 min) in heart rate (∼22 bpm) and decreases in SDNN (∼18 ms) and rMSSD (∼20 ms) occurred in both groups. CONCLUSION: MLHIV under cART exhibited attenuated postexercise hypotension vs. healthy controls, which seemed to relate with impairments in vascular function.