L. Munari

Blood pressure changes during heavy-resistance exercise.

To study the mechanisms of the blood pressure changes during weight-lifting, three hypertensive and five normotensive body-builders underwent continuous intra-arterial monitoring. In two subjects (one normotensive and one hypertensive), intrathoracic and intra-abdominal pressures were also measured. Extremely high blood pressure elevations of up to 345/245 mmHg were observed during the lifts. Squatting caused the highest pressure rises and single-arm curls the lowest. Both the intrathoracic and the intra-abdominal pressures increased greatly during each lift and closely paralleled the changes in intra-arterial pressure. A close correlation was found between the blood pressure increase during the exercise and during a hand-grip test (r = 0.95, P less than 0.001). These results suggest that a pronounced increase in intra-thoracic and intra-abdominal pressures is a major determinant of the blood pressure elevations occurring during weight-lifting. The pressor reflex which accompanies static contractions and the individual baseline blood pressure levels also seem to affect the height of the pressure peaks.

Effect of Endurance Training on Q-T Interval and Cardiac Electrical Stability in Boys Aged 10 to 14

In 30 highly trained boys aged 10-14 the prevalence of ventricular ectopic beats and Q-T interval duration were studied. In trained boys ECG Holter monitoring showed a higher even though not significa

Blood pressure variability during athletics

Blood pressure variability has long been a subject of intense interest [1, 2] even though its clinical significance has not been completely established [3, 4]. Physical activity has been shown to represent one of the predominant determinants of blood pressure variability [5] and the blood pressure changes determined by both isotonic and isometric exercise have been studied extensively by means of laboratory tests. Everyday physical activities, as well as sports activities, differ in many respects from stress testing, however, so that a direct comparison cannot be made [6]. In fact, during such activities the dynamic and the static components of the exercise are not as clearly separated as in laboratory tests, but there is a parallel, though different, contribution of each one of them.

Ergometry VS Field Test in the Evaluation of the Hypertensive Athlete

Several reports have suggested that the blood pressure (BP) response to dynamic exercise is useful for identifying athletes with potential risk of cardiovascular accidents and for deciding whether they should be allowed to enter competitive athletics (8, 9). However, the value of a laboratory stress test in providing useful diagnostic information depends on its effectiveness in mimicking a run as it is currently performed in outdoor conditions. Indeed, as the use of ergometry became common in evaluating the hypertensive athlete, concern grew over possible differences which might exist between the test performed in the laboratory and overground exercise (8, 9).

Blutdruckvariabilität bei Sportlern

Blutdruckvariabilitat ist Scit langem Gegenstand intensiver Studien (9, 13), obwohl ihre klinische Bedeutung bislang noch nicht vollstandig definiert werden konnte (8, 11). Es wurde gezeigt, das physische Aktivitat eine der wichtigsten Determinanten fur Blutdruckschwankungen ist (6). Die von isotonischen und isometrischen Ubungen verursachten Blutdruckschwankungen wurden in Labortests umfangreichen Untersuchungen unterworfen. Die alltaglichen physischen und sportlichen Aktivitaten unterscheiden sich in vielerlei Hinsicht von den Belastungstests, so das ein direkter Vergleich nicht vorgenommen werden kann (12). Im Unterschied zu den Labortests sind bei den erstgenannten Aktivitaten die dynamischen und statischen Komponenten nicht klar zu trennen. Trotz dieser Einschrankungen basieren die derzeitigen Kenntnisse uber die Blutdruckvariabilitat bei sportlichen Aktivitaten ausschlieslich auf den Resultaten von Belastungstests, was auf die Unmoglichkeit zuruckzufuhren ist, den Blutdruck wahrend der sportlichen Aktivitaten zu messen.