Comparison of the effects of inspiratory muscle strength training and aerobic exercise training on vascular function in patients with hypertension.

purposeThis study examined the comparative effects of aerobic exercise training (AET) and inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) as an emerging exercise modality for improving vascular function in hypertensive patients.

methodsTwenty-eight hypertensive patients (aged 61 ± 7 years; 9 males, 19 females) were randomized to AET (n = 14, 70% of heart rate reserve for 30 min/session, 5 days/week) or IMST (n = 14, 30 breaths/session at 75% of maximal inspiratory pressure, 5 days/week) groups. Both supervised interventions lasted 8 weeks. Vascular outcome measurements included endothelial function, measured by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and arterial stiffness, assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and augmentation index (AIx). These measurements were taken at baseline and 8-weeks post-intervention.

resultsThe mean ± SD change in FMD from baseline to post-intervention improved similarly in both groups (IMST, + 1.60 ± 2.2%; p < 0.05 and AET, + 1.05 ± 1.7%; p < 0.05), with no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.46). However, the IMST group showed a significant improvement in cfPWV ([Formula: see text]0.38 ± 0.6 m/s; p < 0.05) and AIx@75 ([Formula: see text]2.6 ± 4.0%; p < 0.05), which was not observed in the AET group.

conclusionBoth IMST and AET similarly improved endothelial function. IMST was slightly more effective than AET in improving arterial stiffness. Taken together and findings support the efficacy of IMST as a time-efficient strategy for enhancing vascular function in hypertensive patients.