Abstract
Objective
Our work aimed to investigate the association between vigorous physical activity and visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability (BPV).
Methods
We conducted a post hoc analysis of SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial), a well-characterized cohort of participants randomized to intensive (<120 mmHg) or standard (<140 mmHg) SBP targets. We assessed whether patients with hypertension who habitually engage in vigorous physical activity would have lower visit-to-visit systolic BPV compared with those who do not engage in vigorous physical activity. Visit-to-visit systolic BPV was calculated by standard deviation (SD), average real variability (ARV), and standard deviation independent of the mean (SDIM) using measurements taken during the 1-, 2-, 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-month study visits. A medical history questionnaire assessed vigorous physical activity, which was divided into three categories according to the frequency of vigorous physical activity.
Results
A total of 7571 participants were eligible for analysis (34.8% female, mean age 67.9±9.3 years). During a follow-up of 1-year, vigorous physical activity could significantly reduce SD, ARV, and SDIM across increasing frequency of vigorous physical activity. There were negative linear trends between frequency of vigorous physical activity and visit-to-visit systolic BPV.
Conclusions
Long-term engagement in vigorous physical activity was associated with lower visit-to-visit systolic BPV.
Prognostic Significance of Visit-to-Visit Systolic Blood Pressure Variability: A Meta-Analysis of 77,299 Patients
