Is an exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise in hypertensive patients a benign phenomenon or a dangerous alarm?

Background: A hypertensive response to exercise is associated with high cardiovascular risk, whereas scarce data are available about its relation to surrogates of subclinical atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction and intima-media thickness (IMT) have been demonstrated in atherosclerotic patients.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between a hypertensive response to exercise and IMT as well as endothelial function as surrogates of subclinical atherosclerosis.