Hypertension

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a common condition affecting around 20% of the adult population in Denmark, and more than 250,000 Danish people have high blood pressure without realising it (1). High blood pressure significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, heart failure and blood clots in the brain and heart. The high blood pressure risk condition has a major impact on public health in Denmark. High blood pressure can be defined in a number of ways, but most commonly as systolic (the heart’s pumping phase) and diastolic (the heart’s relaxation phase) blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg. However, it is important to point out that major meta-analyses have described a linear relationship between reduced blood pressure and reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease at blood pressure as
low as 115/75 mmHg (2). A decrease in systolic blood pressure of 20 mmHg or a decrease in diastolic blood pressure of 10 mmHg is associated with a 50% reduction in the risk of dying from cardiovasccular disease (3). 50% reduction in the risk of dying fromcardiovascular disease (3). There are several causes of high blood pressure, heredity, age and lifestyle being the most significant. It has been well known for decades that regular physical activity and a high fitness level prevent high blood pressure (4), and that regular physical exercise as well as cardio training, strength training and a combination of both are recommended to prevent high blood pressure and as an important element in the treatment of high blood pressure (5). In fact, regular and effective physical exercise is as effective for patients with mild hypertension as antihypertensive tablets, with an
average decrease in mean arterial pressure of 10 mmHg (1). However, it should be emphasised that the exercise effects are dependent on the type of training. For instance, moderate and high-intensity cardio training (such as running) offers
greater blood pressure-lowering effects than low-intensity endurance training (such as walking or strength training). More recent meta-analyses have also found the greatest antihypertensive effect of combination training (multiple forms of exercise in the training programme) and hybrid training (multiple
forms of exercise in the same training session) (6).