EFFECTS OF ACUTE EXERCISE ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE IN A PEDIATRIC POPULATION: A COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION

Pediatric hypertension is one of the main cardiovascular problems today. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic effect after an aerobic test in children and adolescents. Methods: The effects of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were analyzed before and after a 6-minute run and walk test (between rest, immediately after, 15 and 30 minutes after the run test) in volunteers with increased blood pressure (n=22) in the experimental group (EG), compared to the control group (n=22) (CG). Anthropometric measurements were taken (weight (kg) and height (m)), body composition (body mass index kg/m2 and % fat) and heart rate variability (HRV). Results: There was a reduction in SBP after 30 minutes of activity in the SG (118.3±10.5 vs 109.2±11.3 mmHg) compared to rest. The CG remained the same (112.2±11.6 vs 112.6±14.0) with no statistical difference (p>0.05). For DBP, there was no significant variation (p>0.05) between the groups or between the time points. When assessing heart rate (HR), there was a significant increase between the SG and CG groups (91.36±11.6 vs 110.9±12.2 and 88.2±17.7 vs 101.7±15.5) bpm). Only BMI and the SDNN, PNN50 and HF indices showed a statistical difference between the two groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: There was a reduction in SBP 30 minutes after the running and/or walking test in the experimental group, demonstrating positive effects after the running and walking test in children and adolescents.