Blood pressure response to isometric and dynamic exercise in healthy black children

W. B. Strong, M. D. Miller, M. Striplin and M. Salehbhai

One hundred seventy healthy black boys and girls (76 boys and 94 girls) had their systolic blood pressure (BP) determined at rest, during submaximum and maximum dynamic exercise, and in response to isometric exercise. Differences in BP between boys and girls were not significant. Blood pressure response to both dynamic and isometric exercise correlated with age and body surface area. Differences between resting BP and the BP during isometric exercise (BPiso), submaximum dynamic exercise (deltaBP170) and maximum dynamic exercise (deltaBPmax) for boys were: deltaBP150 18 +/- 9, deltaBP170 40 +/- 16 and deltaBPmax 55 +/- 17. Corresponding values for girls were: 16 +/- 8, 36 +/- 14 and 47 +/- 16. The higher the resting BP the less was the percentage change in BP to each stress.