CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS PRODUCED BY AQUATIC EXERCISE IN ELDERLY NORMOTENSIVE AND HYPERTENSIVE SUBJECTS.

Abstract

Water immersion produces changes on the cardiovascular system resulting from central hypervolemia which produces increased stroke volume and heart rate (HR) decrease. This study evaluates the effect of aquatic exercise on cardiovascular parameters in elderly normotensive and hypertensive. The study sample consisted of six normotensive and 7 hypertensive women. Beta blockers users and patients with osteoarticular diseases were excluded from the study. The subjects performed two tests with an interval of 48 hours in and out of water for 10 minutes with the water at the xiphoid process. The voluntaries performed the test at an intensity of 70% of maximum HR set by a metronome. The HR and blood pressure (BP) values were collected using a heart monitor and a device for manual BP at rest, in the sixth and tenth minute during the test. The heart rate values in water were significantly lower in the sixth and tenth minutes (111 ± 2.0 ± 2.7 bpm bpm/118 normotensive), (123 ± 2.0 ± 3.2 bpm bpm/124 hypertensive) compared with the land environment (131 ± 1.6 ± 2.3 bpm bpm/142 normotensive), (143 ± 1.7 ± 1.9 bpm bpm/134 hypertension) both for the normotensive and hypertensive group. The systolic blood pressure (SAP) values were lower in the normotensive group in the aquatic environment (150 ± 3.6 ± 3.0 mmHg mmHg/159) compared with the land (170 ± 4.1 mmHg / 183 ± 3, 3 mmHg) while for the hypertensive group the SAP values were higher in the aquatic environment (155 ± 2.4 mmHg / 157 mmHg ± 1.8 water) (143 ± 1.7 mmHg / 141 ± 1.4 mmHg land). This study show that a significant reduction of the heart rate in the aquatic environment in hypertensive subjects, in addition, the present data show that SAP has a differential control during aquatic exercise in elderly hypertensive.