Treadmill Exercise Testing in Hypertensives

ABSTRACT

Fourteen healthy persons and 43 hypertensives were subjected to treadmill exercise testing to see responses of variable influenced by various degrees of hypertension. The hypertensive were subclassified into 3 groups, mild hypertension(diast. BP<104mmHg), moderate hypertension(diast. BP<129mmHg). 1) The attainability of maximal heart rate was inversely related with levels of basal blood pressure;92.8% of normal control group attained the maximal heart rate, 87.5% of mild hypertension, 69.2% of moderate hypertension and 66.7% of moderately severe hypertension. 2) As the exercise was geaded up, the rate of increase of heart rate was lower in higher blood perssure groups than in lower blood pressuer groups. 3) The rate and extent of rise in systolic pressure was inversely related with basal systolic pressure, the systolic pressure response being least in the group with highest pressure, that is, moderately severe hypertension group. The diastolic pressure seemed to decrease somewhat in early phase of exercise only to return back to basal level at the late phase of exercise. 4) Seven of 43 hypertensive showed significant ST depression during exercise, which may be due to imbalance between oxygen demand and supply caused sither by left ventricular hypertrophy or ischemic heart disease. 5) A case was characterized by very sluggish response in increase of heart rate despite progress in exercise grade and he fell into collase 12 minutes after the interruption of exercise. The tardy response in heart rate may be a hitherto unsuspected risk predictor in exercise test.