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Meta-Analysis
. 2019 Jul;21(7):868-876.
doi: 10.1111/jch.13583. Epub 2019 Jun 6.

The effectiveness of aerobic exercise for hypertensive population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Liujiao Cao  1   2   3 , Xiuxia Li  1   2   3 , Peijing Yan  4 , Xiaoqin Wang  2   3 , Meixuan Li  1   2   3 , Rui Li  1   2   3 , Xiue Shi  5 , Xingrong Liu  1 , Kehu Yang  1   2   3   4   5
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The effectiveness of aerobic exercise for hypertensive population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Liujiao Cao et al. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2019 Jul.

Abstract

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different durations of aerobic exercise on hypertensive patients. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) were searched from their inception until July 2018. English publications and randomized controlled trials involving aerobic exercise treatment for hypertensive population were included. Two reviewers independently extracted the data. The Cochrane's Risk of Bias tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. In this systematic review, a total of 14 articles were included, involving 860 participants. The quality of the included studies ranged from moderate to high. The results of the meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, significant effects of aerobic exercise were observed on reducing systolic blood pressure (SBP) (mean difference [MD] = -12.26 mm Hg, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -15.17 to -9.34, P < 0.05), diastolic blood pressure (DBP; MD = -6.12 mm Hg, 95% CI = -7.76 to -4.48, P < 0.05), and heart rate (MD = -4.96 bpm, 95% CI = -6.46 to -3.43, P < 0.05). In addition, significant reductions were observed in ambulatory DBP (MD = -4.90 mm Hg, 95% CI = -8.55 to -1.25, P < 0.05) and ambulatory SBP (MD = -8.77mm Hg, 95% CI = -13.97 to -3.57, P < 0.05). Therefore, aerobic exercise might be an effective treatment for blood pressure improvement in hypertensive patients. However, the effectiveness between the duration of different treatment needs to be well-designed and rigorous studies will be required to verify the dataset.

Keywords: aerobic exercise; hypertension; randomized controlled trial; systematic reviews.

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Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram regarding the article selection for the meta‐analysis
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of bias summary
Figure 3
Figure 3
Aerobic exercise on systolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients
Figure 4
Figure 4
Aerobic exercise on diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effects of aerobic training on heart rate in hypertension
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effects of aerobic training on ambulatory blood pressure in hypertension
Figure 7
Figure 7
Funnel plot of comparison aerobic exercise intervention on blood pressure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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