Exercise Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Reference Values

Background Besides their prognostic impact blood pressure and peak heart rate are widely used endpoint parameters for incremental exercise tests. Reference equations and ranges on both are sparse. Objective This study aims to describe prediction equations and reference ranges for systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as for peak heart rate assessed during a symptom limited incremental exercise test based on a population based study – the Study of Health in Pomerania. Design For this purpose, 1708 individuals aged 25–85 years underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Results After exclusion of subjects with cardiopulmonary diseases and antihypertensive medications regression analyses revealed age, sex and body mass index as statistically significant interfering factors. In accordance, prediction equations and reference ranges for blood pressure and peak heart rate with respect to sex, age and BMI have been established. Conclusion This study provides a reliable set of prediction equations for blood pressure and heart rate values at peak exercise, assessed in a general population over a wide age range.