Exercise blood pressure relative to fitness and cardiovascular outcomes: the EXERTION study
A hypertensive response to exercise has long been known to be associated with cardiovascular events. However, aerobic capacity and frailty, which define fitness, often confound our understanding of an individual's response.
In the EXERTION study, Schulz and colleagues evaluated the response of over 12,000 individuals undergoing a Bruce Protocol exercise treadmill test. The baseline characteristics and outcomes were extracted from the administrative databases. Results included competing risk analyses, sex differences and subanalysis of those without prior cardiovascular diseases, pre-existing hypertension and blood pressure lowering medications.
As we eagerly await the ESC Guidelines on Cardiac Rehabilitation at the upcoming ESC Congress in 2026, the EXERTION study prompts targeted intervention to improve fitness and lower cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients.
