Impact of muscle echo intensity on post‐exercise blood pressure response in older normotensive and hypertensive females: Pilot study

Exaggerated post‐exercise blood pressure (BP) is considered a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease in older females. Muscle echo intensity (EI) using ultrasound can be used to evaluate intramuscular fat, one of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to determine whether intramuscular fat assessed by muscle echo intensity is associated with the post‐exercise BP response in older females. Ten older normotensive (SBP <130 mmHg, 71 ± 4 years), eight systolic BP‐controlled (78 ± 4 years), and 17 hypertensive (SBP ≥130 mmHg, 74 ± 6 years) females were studied. After obtaining ultrasound images to assess the EI, participants performed ramp‐up exercise until 50% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC: ~30‐s; 3% MVC/s gradually increased knee extension force from 0% to 50% MVC followed by sustaining the force at 50% MVC for 10‐s) and then five MVCs (~50 s; 10‐s rest between each contraction). BP was measured before and immediately after exercise. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) pre‐ and post‐exercise were significantly lower in normotensive and SBP‐controlled, than in ‐uncontrolled hypertensive females (PRE: 85 ± 5 and 87 ± 7 vs. 106 ± 9; POST: 92 ± 8 and 94 ± 9 vs. 103 ± 11 mmHg, respectively, p < 0.05). EI was negatively correlated with ∆diastolic BP (∆DBP) but not ∆SBP and ∆MAP in normotensive females only (∆SBP, r = −0.21, p = 0.56; ∆DBP, R = −0.73, p = 0.02; ∆MAP, R = −0.49, p = 0.15). Greater intramuscular fat as indicated by higher EI is associated with less BP elevation immediately after exercise in older normotensive females. Greater intramuscular fat may lead to lower intramuscular pressure, resulting in less post‐exercise BP elevation.