CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO ERGOMETRIC EXERCISE IN NORMAL AND OVERWEIGHT MEDICAL STUDENTS

The blood pressure response to exercise is one of the useful methods for cardiac evaluation. Exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise is one of the important risk factor for the development of hypertension in future. Aim To compare the cardiovascular response to ergometric exercise in normal and overweight medical students. Method The study was done in 60 healthy medical students (normal weight n30) and (overweight n30) in the age group between 18- 22years. The subjects were asked to perform exercise on a bicycle ergometer for 5 minutes at a rate of 20 cycles per minute. Blood pressure was recorded before exercise, immediately after exercise and after 5 minutes after recovery. Statistical analysis was done using students t test. Results We found an exacerbated blood pressure response immediately after exercise in overweight subjects compared to normal subjects. Thus exercise test is an important test to find out subjects at risk of developing hypertension in future.