Título

Daily Routine Physical Activities and Arterial Stiffness in Normotensive Elderly.

Introdução

Physical exercise is an effective strategy for reducing blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive populations. The possible beneficial effects of physical activity on reducing arterial stiffness can be indirectly attributed to decreasing the systemic blood pressure (SBP), rather than directly counteracting the effect of exercise on arterial vessels. Another factor to be considered is the intensity of the physical activity practiced and the corresponding vascular stiffness. Thus, a more intense physical activity practiced for long periods seems to reduce arterial stiffness. However, little is known about the daily physical activity (DPA) of elderly individuals and its correlation with arterial vascular wall stiffness. The present study aimed to verify the level of DPA and the corresponding arterial vascular stiffness in elderly individuals considered normotensive, in whom the effects of arterial hypertension might not be observed.

Material e Método

We used data from the EVOPIU database from normotensive elderly individuals who presented systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) levels <140/90 mmHg without antihypertensive drugs and who did not present related comorbidities. Our sample consisted of 49 normotensive individuals (25 female and 24 male). A physical activity assessment tool (International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-Short form) and functional capacity assessment tool (Health Assessment Questionnaire; HAQ) were applied. Applanation tonometry (AT) was performed and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was determined (cfPWV)

Resultados

The patients were separated by the tertile of the cf-PWV, where a cf-PWV of 6.7 m/s was in the low, 9.8 m/s was in the median, and 13.1 m/s was in the high tertiles. We observed that the score obtained by HAQ and IPAQ questionnaires were similar in each cfPWV tertiles.

Discussão e Conclusões

The main finding of the study was that DPA seems to be unrelated to arterial stiffness in normotensive elderly individuals. The DPA of the individuals in the highest c-fPWV tertile was not different from those in lower tertiles. In conclusion, within the normotensive range (<140/90 mmHg), vascular stiffness is enhanced as the systemic arterial pressure increases. Groups with different physical activities and functional capacity, but with similar blood pressure values, do not present different c-fPWV values.

Palavras Chave

Elderly; Arterial Stiffness; Normotension; Daily Phisical Activity