Approved Research

Association of device-measured physical activity with cardiovascular disease and death in individuals with hypertension

Lay summary

Hypertension is defined as office systolic blood pressure values >=140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure values >=90 mmHg, strongly associated with cardiovascular diseases and death. Over one billion people worldwide suffer from hypertension, and it is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2025, which places a substantial burden on the global health economy. Tremendous studies have shown that increased physical activity (PA) can effectively lower blood pressure. A narrative review of 27 randomized clinical trials showed that regular moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA reduced blood pressure by approximately 11/5 mmHg in individuals with hypertension. The 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) guideline on PA recommends at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity PA or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity PA or an equivalent combination throughout the week to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and death. Nevertheless, few studies demonstrated that this PA recommendation effectively improves cardiovascular prognosis in the population with hypertension. It is still being determined whether the blood pressure reductions related to physical activity translate into long-term benefits. Our study aims to investigate the association of physical activity with cardiovascular disease and death in individuals with hypertension by conducting a prospective cohort study. Our project duration is expected to be three years. Our study will provide important evidence about the association of physical activity with cardiovascular disease and death in individuals with hypertension and propose some physical activity advice for patients with hypertension.