Pulse wave velocity is related to exercise blood pressure response in young adults. The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.

High pulse wave velocity (PWV), a marker of increased arterial stiffness, and an exaggerated exercise blood pressure (EEBP) response during an exercise test have both been related to an increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular events. Contradictory results have been published about the association between these two parameters, and their relation in healthy young adults is unknown. This study consisted of 209 young adults (mean age 38 years) who participated in the ongoing Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study between 2007 and 2009. We measured resting PWV with impedance cardiography in 2007, and participants performed a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test with blood pressure (BP) measurements at rest, during exercise and during recovery in 2008-2009. High PWV (≥age- and sex-specific median) at baseline was associated with EEBP (SBP >210 mmHg for men and >190 mmHg for women) an average of 14 months later and with systolic BP during different stages of exercise from rest to peak and recovery (during peak exercise, β ± SE was 4.1 ± 1.1,  < 0.001). The association between high PWV and systolic BP remained after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors and other exercise parameters (during peak exercise, β ± SE was 2.3 ± 1.1,  = 0.04). Increased arterial stiffness predicts EEBP during a maximal exercise test in young adults during all stages of exercise from rest to peak and recovery. PWV could provide an additional tool for EEBP risk evaluation.