RESUMO
The aim of this study was to analyse the meaning of unexpected hypertensive response during treadmill stress test in resting normotensive individuals without any evidence of cardiovascular pathology. The study group of 52 persons who fulfil the inclusion criteria was compared with a homogenous control population composed by 200 individuals with a suitable blood pressure response to stress. The adopted criteria for hypertensive response were the presence of blood pressure greater than or equal to 180/100 mmHg after 6 stress, in maximal stress greater than or equal to 210/110 mmHg and after 5' recovering greater than or equal to 150/90 mmHg. 74% of patients with hypertensive response appeared to be hypertensive according to the criteria of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring--day blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg and night blood pressure greater than or equal to 120/80 mmHg. After echocardiographic study to define the index of left ventricular mass, 68% of individuals with hypertensive stress response showed left ventricular hypertrophy with a medium index of 145 + 17 g/m2 (P less than or equal to 0.01) in most cases with a concentrical hypertrophy type. The appearance of tensional response of hypertensive type ascertains the probability of hypertensive disease. The analysis of tensional response to stress is an integrant part of a methodology of approaching patients suspect of high blood pressure.