[Diagnostic criteria of the sustained weight test for the detection of arterial hypertensive patients]. / Criterios diagnósticos de la prueba del peso sostenido en la detección de pacientes con hipertensión arterial.

BACKGROUND: Like other exercise tests, the sustained weight test (SWT) is based on the cardiovascular reactivity to physical exercise. However, the validity, feasibility and reproducibility criteria inherent to this test are not well defined. Our goals were to describe the systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) values which allow a diagnosis of hypertension with this test and to validate the criteria for diagnosis of hypertension. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We designed a transversal study with a sample of 547 people. Hypertensive and normotensive individuals were selected considering 140 mmHg for SAP and/or 90 mmHg for DAP as reference values. Subsequently, the SWT test was applied and values of 140/95 mmHg and 150/100 mmHg were identified to define two normotensive and two hypertensive groups, respectively. Finally, we determined the validity, feasibility and reproducibility of the method. RESULTS: The correlation of DAP and SAP before and after the SWT test was fairly high. Values of sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive value and predictive negative value with the 140/95 mmHg approach were 93.3, 87.9, 71.4 and 97.6%, respectively, while these were 89.6, 95.6, 87 and 96,6% when using the 150/100 mmHg approach, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate a high correlation between the arterial pressure measured by the SWT method and that measured by the international method. Likewise, we have shown an appropriate validity, feasibility and reproducibility of the SWT test for diagnosis of arterial hypertension in the community.

[Cardiovascular reactivity and cardiovascular risk factors in normotensive individuals of the Municipality of Rodas Cienfuegos]. / Reactividad cardiovascular y factores de riesgo cardiovascular en individuos normotensos del municipio de Rodas, Cienfuegos.

BACKGROUND: A relationship exists between different cardiovascular risk factors and a significant rise in blood pressure in the presence of psychological or physical stress (cardiovascular reactivity). We studied this relationship in normotensive individuals who were subjected to stress caused by isometric exercise, which provided us with proof of the amount of weight withstood. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted in which 267 normotensive individuals were divided into two groups. One of these groups was a study group comprised of cardiovascular hyperreactive (CVHR) with a greater blood pressure response (BP)(n = 58), with BP levels > or = 90/140 mm/Hg, and the other group as a control group, with BP < 90/140 mm/Hg, n = 209. The relationship was found between the age, gender, sedentary life, smoking habit (SH), alcoholic beverage intake (ABI) and clinical history of blood pressure disorders (CH of BPD with the condition of cardiovascular hyperreactivity. RESULTS: 21.7% of the subjects were CVHR. The risk factors SH, ABI and gender were not related to the CVHR P > 0.05. The risk factor of CVHR is twice as high on the part of sedentary individuals, age becoming a factor as of age 40, and those individuals with a CH of BPD had twice the risk of having a cardiovascular hyperreactivity 3.85 (2: 7, 19) as those who had no CH of BPD). CONCLUSIONS: A significant relationship exists between being over age 40, CH of BPD and lack of exercise with a CVHR condition. This was not found to be the case for other risk factors such as SH, gender and ABI.