Independent Multiple Correlates of Post-Exercise Systolic Blood Pressure Recovery in Healthy Adults

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the independent relationships of systolic blood pressure recovery (SBPR) with age, sex, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), resting heart rate (HR), physical activity, and cigarette smoking in healthy adults. Subjects performed cycle ergometer exercise at progressive incremental workloads until subjects reached 80% of their age-predicted maximum HR. Blood pressure (BP) was measured before exercise (after 10 and 15 minutes of rest), during exercise (at 2-minute intervals), immediately after exercise (within the first minute) and subsequently at 2-minute intervals until recovery to baseline. The ratio of third-minute SBP relative to first-minute post-exercise SBP was used as the SBPR variable. Our results indicated independent correlations (p<0.05) between SBPR and age, resting HR, physical activity and cigarette smoking (r =0.473; 0.192; −0.262; 0.102 respectively in males and r =0.113; 0.315; −0.637; 0.104 respectively in females). BMI associated positively (r =0.106; p<0.01) with SBPR in males but not in females (r =0.092), while WC was predictive of SBPR in females (r =0.212; p<0.01) but not in males (r =0.005). Age in men and physical activity in females were the strongest predictors of SBPR. The present findings in which SBPR is associated with risk factors of cardiovascular abnormalities strengthen the previously reported significance of SBPR after exercise test as a prognostic tool for the evaluation of cardiovascular abnormalities. Additionally, it may help clinicians to define and interpret the mechanisms behind changes in postexercise SBP responses in adults in future investigations.