Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Risk of Nonfatal Cardiovascular Disease in Women and Men With Hypertension

Background Whether the cardioprotective characteristic of higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) extends to adults with manifest hypertension (HTN) is poorly understood. Methods We examined the association between CRF and nonfatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in 8147 men and 1268 women, who, at baseline, were free of known CVD and had HTN based on a history of physician diagnosis or a measured resting blood pressure (BP) ≥140/90 mm Hg. The CVD events (myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization) were ascertained from mail-back surveys. The CRF was quantified as maximal treadmill exercise test duration and was grouped for analysis as low (lowest 20% of exercise duration), moderate (middle 40%), and high (upper 40%). Results A total of 71 CVD events occurred during 12,224 woman-years, and 837 CVD events occurred during 82,366 man-years of follow-up. Age and examination year adjusted CVD rates per 1000 person-years according to low, moderate, and high CRF groups were 10.8, 8.4, and 3.8 (trend P = .001) in women, and were 15.3, 10.9, and 7.2 (trend P< .001) in men. After further controlling for CVD risk factors, abnormal exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) responses, and family history of CVD, hazards ratios (95% CI) for CVD events across incremental CRF categories were 1.00 (referent), 0.88 (0.74 to 1.06), 0.70 (0.57 to 0.86), trend P< .001, in men, and were 1.00 (referent), 0.87 (0.48 to 1.58), 0.41 (0.20 to 0.84), trend P = .01, in women. Conclusions In adults with HTN, higher CRF is associated with lower risk of nonfatal CVD events, independent of other clinical risk predictors.