Systolic blood pressure during recovery from exercise and the risk of acute myocardial infarction in middle-aged men

We prospectively assessed the association of systolic blood pressure (SBP) after exercise with the risk of an acute myocardial infarction. Limited information exists currently on the role of SBP during recovery period with the risk of acute myocardial infarction. SBP was measured every 2 minutes during and after a progressive cycle ergometer exercise test in a representative sample of 2336 men (aged 42 to 61 years). During an average follow-up period of 13.1 years, 358 acute myocardial infarctions occurred. An incremental rise of 10 mm Hg per minute in SBP at 2 minutes after exercise (relative risk, 1.07-fold; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.12; P=0.001) was associated with the risk of acute myocardial infarction after adjustment for age, alcohol consumption, smoking, serum lipids, diabetes mellitus, body mass index, resting SBP, regular use of antihypertensive medications, physical fitness, heart rate, and ischemic ECG findings during exercise. Men with elevated SBP of >195 mm Hg after exercise had a 1.69-fold (95% CI, 1.24 to 2.30; P=0.001) risk for an acute myocardial infarction compared with those with SBP <170 mm Hg after adjustment for age, other risk factors, and resting SBP. SBP after exercise provides an incremental predictive value for acute myocardial infarction beyond that of resting SBP. This emphasizes the importance of SBP measurements after the exercise test because it provides additional valuable prognostic measure with regard to acute myocardial infarction.