Delayed blood pressure recovery ratio might indicate increased arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients with reduced aerobic exercise capacity.

Background: Cardiopulmonary fitness is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. Abnormal systolic blood pressure (SBP) response during recovery has been found to have diagnostic role for detecting cardiovascular risk. Aim of the study was to determine whether increased arterial stiffness associates with reduced aerobic exercise capacity after maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) in a cohort of recently diagnosed hypertensive patients with a delayed decline in SBP during recovery.