VIII
- High blood pressure and special cases
8.1 - High
blood pressure and sport
8.2
- High blood pressure and obesity
8.3
- High blood pressure and pregnancy
8.4
- High blood pressure and elderly
8.5
- High blood pressure and children
8.6
- High blood pressure and contraception
8.7
- Influence of hormones on high blood pressure (case of the post-menopausal
woman)
8.8 - Influence
of life style modification on blood pressure
8.1- High
blood pressure and sport
Taking part in sport can involve a reduction of the blood pressure, only if
this sport is practised in a regular way (at least once per week) without any
competition. Indeed, during the effort the blood pressure rises in a moderate
way for moderate efforts, but the blood pressure can reach very high values
if the effort is extreme.
Medical studies have showed
that a regular participation in sport can induce at rest a 5 to 25
millimetres of mercury reduction for the systolic blood pressure (the " maximum
one ") and from 3 to 15 millimetres of mercury reduction for the
diastolic one (the " minimal one ").
The blood pressure begins
to lower 3 weeks after the sport training, but it often takes at least
6 months to judge its effectiveness.
In addition to its beneficial
effect on the blood pressure, the regular practice of a sport involves
a reduction of cholesterol, of the fatty mass to the benefit of the
thin mass. Moreover, it exerts an anti-stress effect and makes blood
more fluid.
Thus, taking part in sport
helps fight against the arteriosclerosis disease, responsible for the
appearance of cholesterol plates in the arteries (the benefit is proportional
to the intensity of the effort).
- Particular precautions:
If you are not a sportsman
or woman, or if you do not regularly practise a sport anymore, the
practice of a sport will have to be very progressive and we advise
you to speak to your practitioner about it.
Thus, the practitioner may
prescribe the realization of an effort-test to observe the value of
your blood pressure and supervise the cardiac activity during the effort.
This examination will be
prescribed in particular for the subjects who have cardiovascular risk
factors in addition to high blood pressure: obesity, tobacco, hypercholesterolemia,
male sex or post-menopausal woman, diabetes.
- Evaluation of the effectiveness:
Your physician or yourself
(if you have a self-measurement device) will measure the blood pressure
which must be lower than 140/90 mm of mercury.
In case of doubt, your practitioner
can prescribe you an ambulatory blood pressure measurement for 24 hours.
If the high blood pressure
is not cured, an antihypertensive drug therapy can be given.
- Antihypertensive drug
therapy of the high blood pressure and sport:
We have to be very careful
because a few drugs are regarded as doping products: beta-blockers
and the diuretics ones (supporting the emission of urine).
Beta-blockers do not constitute
a good choice because they limit the capacity for making an effort.
It is rare for the calcium
channel antagonist to be responsible for muscular pains during the
effort. The other drugs (central alpha agonist, angiotensin-converting
enzyme inhibitor, Angiotensine receptor antagonist) can be prescribed.
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last modified on : 28 sep 2003 |
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