Abstract 6057: Elevated LDL-Cholesterol Causes a Higher Exercise Blood Pressure Response

Abstract

Background: Increased blood pressure (BP) response during exercise has been associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. It is unknown how LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c) is related to the exercise-induced BP response as well as to the large (LAE) and small artery (SAE) elasticity in subjects free from overt cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined the relationship between serum LDL-c and the BP response during a moderate exercise treadmill test in subjects with no overt CVD and also the relationship between LDL-c and LAE and SAE. Methods: 1229 Subjects (700 male, 529 female) free of overt CVD were recruited during a CVD prevention screening program. A fasting venous blood sample was taken for LDL-cholesterol determination. LAE and SAE were derived from radial pulse wave contour analysis. Resting BP was measured. Then they performed a treadmill exercise test for 3 minutes at a 5 METS (metabolic equivalents) workload. Systolic and diastolic BP were measured at the peak of the 3 min exercise test, The study population was divided in quartiles among distribution of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c). Results: Table 1 summarizes the results. There was no significant difference in large artery elasticity. Conclusions: In asymptomatic subjects, LDL-c is not related with resting BP. Higher LDL-c is related with higher exercise systolic BP response. This higher BP response can be explained by a lower smaller artery elasticity which is a marker for endothelial dysfunction probably related to higher LDL-c. Further studies to examine the effect of lipid-lowering therapy on exercise BP response are warranted Table 1