The effects of cardiorespiratory fitness on incident hypertension and pulse pressure

Abstract

Hypertension is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke and has been associated with approximately half a million deaths annually in the United States. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is inversely associated with hypertension, as well as pulse pressure. However, the relationship between directly measured CRF and both incident hypertension and change in pulse pressure have not been evaluated in women. The primary aim was to determine if directly measured CRF in apparently healthy men and women was associated with the incidence of future hypertension, and the secondary aim was to determine if CRF was associated with change in pulse pressure over time. Apparently healthy individuals (749 total; 476 males and 273 females) were included and Cox regression was performed to assess the relationship between CRF and incident hypertension, and linear regression to assess CRF and change in pulse pressure over time. Higher CRF was associated (P<0.05) with decreased risk of incident hypertension after adjusting for age and sex, however it was not independent of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. CRF was associated (P<0.05) with the change in pulse pressure over 10.0 ± 9.3 years, which was independent of the traditional 2 cardiovascular disease risk factors. This is the first study to evaluate the relationship between CRF derived from cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and incident hypertension in women, as well as the first study to evaluate the relationship between CRF derived from CPET and change in pulse pressure including both men and women. This research emphasized the importance of CRF as a marker of cardiovascular risk, such as hypertension and arterial stiffening.