Blood pressure values during stress test in young elite athletes

Abstract

It is known that blood pressure in children at rest depends on height, but this fact has not been considered during the exercise stress test.Purpose. To determine the maximum value of blood pressure in young elite athletes, depending on the height and gender.Characteristics of children and research methods. The study examined 2313 young elite athletes, members of the national teams of the Russian Federation in 40 sports disciplines (average age — (15.5 ± 1.4) years; 45% of young men). All subjects underwent PWC170 cycle ergometry, blood pressure was measured manually at each stage of testing, and its maxima were registered throughout the testing.Results. The maximum blood pressure values in boys were higher than in girls: systolic blood pressure (195 ± 25) vs (175 ± 20) mmHg, p< 0.001, diastolic blood pressure (80 ± 11) vs (80 ± 10) mmHg, p< 0.05. There was relationship between the maximum value of the blood pressure on exercise and height (r= 0.55; p< 0.001). There were proposed normative tables for the maximum values of systolic blood pressure during exercise, depending on height.Conclusion. In the young elite athletes, the maximum value of blood pressure during stress test depends not only on the gender, but also on the height. The maximum values of systolic blood pressure during exercise in tall young elite athletes can reach 250 mmHg in boys and 210 mmHg in girls.