Exaggerated Systolic Blood Pressure Response During Exercise Tied to Increased Cardiovascular Risk

A recent study on cardiovascular research has highlighted the importance of considering cardiorespiratory fitness when interpreting exercise-induced systolic blood pressure (SBP) responses. The research, conducted by a team at the University of Tasmania, aimed to determine the relationship between exercise SBP, corrected and uncorrected for fitness, and abnormalities of cardiac structure and function. The study found that associations with target organ damage (TOD) were stronger for fitness-corrected than uncorrected exercise SBP.

Key Takeaways:

• The study involved 231 participants with controlled blood pressure, who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing and resting and exercise echocardiography.
• Submaximal exercise SBP measured at the 2nd stage of the Bruce protocol was corrected for peak VO, and associations with TOD were stronger for fitness-corrected than uncorrected exercise SBP.
• Multivariable models demonstrated that fitness-corrected SBP was more closely associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction than uncorrected SBP.
• ROC analysis revealed better performance of fitness-corrected SBP than uncorrected SBP (AUC 0.792 vs. 0.627, and 0.808 vs. 0.662, both p
• The research concluded that exaggerated BP response to exercise must be considered relative to fitness for proper clinical interpretation of BP responses to exercise testing.

Statistics:

• 231 participants were involved in the study
• Submaximal exercise SBP was corrected for peak VO
• Associations with TOD were stronger for fitness-corrected than uncorrected exercise SBP
• Multivariable models demonstrated that fitness-corrected SBP was more closely associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction than uncorrected SBP
• ROC analysis demonstrated better performance of fitness-corrected SBP than uncorrected SBP (AUC 0.792 vs. 0.627, and 0.808 vs. 0.662, both p

Sources:

• Exaggerated blood pressure response to submaximal exercise and cardiac target organ damage: importance of fitness. Journal of Human Hypertension, 2025.
• NewsRx. Study Results from University of Tasmania in the Area of Cardiovascular Research Reported (Exaggerated blood pressure response to submaximal exercise and cardiac target organ damage: importance of fitness). Health & Medicine Week. October 31, 2025; p 8349.