Benefits of Exercise on Hypertension

The question is for adult patients with hypertension, what are the benefits of exercising 3 to 4 times a week on blood pressure compared with patients that do not exercise. Lewis defines hypertension as “continuous blood pressure greater than 140 over 90, hypertension that is not controlled.”
“Hypertension or high blood pressure is an important medical and public health problem. There is a direct relationship between hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and a proportional increase in the risk of myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and renal disease with higher blood pressure.” (Lewis, 2011, p.738).
The intervention involves exercise, “ a physical activity lifestyle is essential to promote and maintain good health. The American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine recommend that Adults perform moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity for at least 30 minutes most days per week or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for at least 20 minutes 3 days a week.” (Lewis, 2011, p.746).
There are many benefits of exercising to improve ones overall health, exercise improves ones overall well being, lower blood pressure, help lower a person’s weight and/or helps to maintain their current weight.
In one study “a total of 202 hypertensive patients were screened with echocardiography, 101 had normal cardiac function, 13 had reduced systolic function and 88 had abnormal ventricular relaxation with preserved LVEF. These 88 patients were selected and randomized into 2 groups: (1) an intervention program group (IG) (n=44) or (2) a control group (CG) (n=44).” (Cocco, 2011, p. 24). These patients were telephoned contacted once a month by telephone by a nurse and was seen by a doctor every 2 months for symptoms, blood pressure, weight, and heart rate. In the intervention group the patients remained on there anti-hypertensive medication and patients were put in an excise training program consisting of cycle ergometer training twice a day for 5 days a week and instructed to follow a low calorie diet of 1500 calories a day.
The controlled group also remained in their antihypertensive medication and patients were followed as in the intervention group. But, the control group daily activities remained the same, they were not allowed to exercise and were not on a low-calorie heart diet.
Results of the patients on the intervention group average body weight decreased from 82 kg to 79 kg. Weight remained the same in the control group. At the end of the study the average systolic blood pressure decreased from 152 mmHg to 145 mmHg in the intervention group, also, in the intervention group the average diastolic blood pressure decreased from 88 mmHg to 85 mmHg. The control group average systolic blood pressure drop from 152 mmHg to 150 mmHg. (Cocco, 2011). “At the end of the study, systolic blood pressure was significantly different in the two groups and the diastolic blood pressure was unchanged in (88 mmHg and 87 mmHg) in the control group. At the end of the study, diastolic blood pressure was significantly different in the two groups.” (Cocco, 2011, p.26).
The second study “ was a randomized control trial and conducted between June 2008 to August 2009 at Physiology Department, University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre.” (Aminuddin, 2011, p. 208).
In study number two 18 subjects were involved and 13 actually completed the study and 5 dropped out due to lack of motivation. In this study the subjects were middle age women who were over weight and had low aerobic fitness level. “ The exercise group under went treadmill exercise 3 times per week for 8 weeks in the morning while the control group continued with their usual routine.” (Aminuddin, 2011, p.208). In this study the exercise group experienced a noticeable difference in submaximal exercise systolic blood pressure. “The discrepancy of the results between the resting and exercise systolic might be due to different factors affecting them. Resting blood pressure is influenced by environmental and emotional factors, but exercise blood pressure is more influence by stress on cardiovascular system exerted by physical activity.” (Aminuddin, 2011, p.209)
The third study I looked at by Rigsby consisted of 36 African American adults by the end of the project only 24 had completed the 12-week study. “The primary purpose of the project was to improve hypertension among the African American citizens of a rural community through implementation of healthy lifestyle modifications,” that included increasing the participants knowledge about hypertension, increasing physical activities among participates and including adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet. By the end of the study these participates experienced an overall reduction in the blood pressure by adopting a healthier lifestyle that included modifications in their diet and exercising. (Rigsby, 2011).
Yes, the results of these studies can be generalized to the same population. Hypertension effects all people it knows no gender or skin color. Those that have hypertension can benefit from adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes a daily exercise regimen.
Other factors that need to be considered regarding hypertension are age, obesity, family history, ethnicity, dietary sodium intake, smoker, and diabetes to name a few. All of these factors should be considered because they to have a significant impact on blood pressure.
Some barriers to utilizing the topic are missing data from incomplete self-reporting form participants. Another barrier is lack of motivation in beginning or completing an exercise regimen. These are barriers because we rely on the participates to complete self reporting logs in order to have a true baseline of the effectiveness of exercise on high blood pressure.
I have learned that high blood pressure not only affects the heart but all other body systems can fail when blood pressure is not controlled.
In conclusion, adult patients with hypertension will benefit form exercising by lowering their blood pressure, which results in a better quality of life that will lower their risk of myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and renal disease.

References
Aminuddin, Amilia. (2011). Effects of Graded Aerobic Exercise Training on Blood Pressure
Changes in women with Elevated Blood Pressure. International medical Journal, 18(3), 207-211.
Cocco, Giuseppe. (2011). Physical Exercise With Weight Reduction Lowers Blood Pressure And Improves Abnormal Left Ventricular Reclaxation in Pharmacologically Treated Hypertensive Patients. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 13(1), 23-29.
Lewis, Sharon. Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, 8th Edition, Mosby.
Rigsby, Brenda D. (2011). Hypertension Improvement through Healthy Lifestyle Modifications. The ABNF Journal.

References: Aminuddin, Amilia. (2011). Effects of Graded Aerobic Exercise Training on Blood Pressure Changes in women with Elevated Blood Pressure. International medical Journal, 18(3), 207-211. Cocco, Giuseppe. (2011). Physical Exercise With Weight Reduction Lowers Blood Pressure And Improves Abnormal Left Ventricular Reclaxation in Pharmacologically Treated Hypertensive Patients. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 13(1), 23-29. Lewis, Sharon. Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, 8th Edition, Mosby. Rigsby, Brenda D. (2011). Hypertension Improvement through Healthy Lifestyle Modifications. The ABNF Journal.