The impact of an antihypertensive therapy of three to six months on the blood pressure parameters of young adults

Bischoff C1, Friedrich R1, Falz R1, Fikenzer S2, Busse M1

1 Institute of Sports Medicine / Sports Medical Clinic of the University of Leipzig (Director: Prof. Dr. med. M. Busse)

Summary

Bischoff C, Friedrich R, Falz R, Fikenzer S, Busse M. The impact of an antihypertensive therapy of three to six months on the blood pressure parameters of young adults. Clinical Sports Medicine International (CSMI) 2014, 7 (1): 9-14

Purpose: Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular diseases, but etiology and pathology for hypertension are not completely clarified. This open-label study focuses on the examination of impacts of an antihypertensive therapy of three to six months on the blood pressure parameters of young adults.

Materials and methods: After intense screening, medical consultation and personal consent, 18 students in total could be included in the study. All of them had high systolic blood pressure in repeated long-term blood pressure measurements. The participants of the intervention group (n=9) took a lower dosage of antihypertensive medication over a limited period of three or six months. After discontinuing medication, the blood pressure was observed three further months. The participants of the control group (n=9) received no medication. The initial measurement was followed by further long-term blood pressure measurements at set control points.

Results: The low dosage of taken medication led to a significant reduction of the systolic blood pressure, the mean arterial pressure and the heart rate in the intervention group. After discontinuing the antihypertensive medication, the blood pressure increased moderately but not significantly. Despite the low increase of the blood pressure parameters after discontinuing medication, the systolic blood pressure and the pulse pressure were, as compared to the base level, lower at the time of the final measurement. The blood pressure parameters in the reference group showed no significant change and remained on a stable level over the entire period.

Conclusion: Systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure may decrease as an effect of a preceding pharmaceutical therapy in young adults with high systolic blood pressure. Nevertheless, further investigations should follow due to the relatively small study population.

Keywords: hypertension, therapy, young adults