Hypertension, or high blood pressure, results in arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries and thickening of the blood vessels. For the first time, a study by Brazilian experts has demonstrated that the lungs experience a comparable effect. High blood pressure hampered respiratory capacity because it hardened the bronchi and raised airway resistance.
731 men and women over 60, with and without high blood pressure, made up the study sample. Its goal was to find out how and where high blood pressure affected lung function to study how hypertension affected lung mechanics. The journal Advances in Respiratory Medicine publishes an article summarizing the results. FAPESP assisted in the study.
“Our analysis showed that subjects who practiced regular physical activities appeared to be partially protected against hardening of the bronchi,” Rodolfo de Paula Vieira, the last author of the article, told Agência FAPESP. Vieira heads the Pulmonary Immunology and Exercise Laboratory at the Federal University of São Paulo’s Institute of Science and Technology (ICT-UNIFESP) in São José dos Campos, São Paulo state, Brazil.
The researchers evaluated lung mechanics using impulse oscillometry, a method that employs sound waves to quantify resistance to the usual passage of air in and out of the lungs when breathing at rest and performed spirometry tests to determine respiratory function.
A manovacuometer assessed maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure, while a hand grip dynamometer was used to test general muscle strength. Participants responded to surveys about their frequency and level of physical activity as well as questions about their quality of life.
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The results underscore the need to evaluate pulmonary function in individuals with hypertension, a condition that impacts around 1 billion people globally, according to Vieira.
Hypertension has long been known to impair lung function, but until now the mechanism involved wasn’t clearly understood. Our findings show that physicians should refer patients diagnosed with high blood pressure to a specialist for tests to assess lung function and mechanics, especially older patients. They should also be given guidance on the importance of an active lifestyle to avoid loss of lung function due to high blood pressure.”
Rodolfo de Paula Vieira, Institute of Science and Technology, Federal University of São Paulo
According to earlier studies, lung function is directly related to the lungs’ capacity to expand and return to their initial state (elastance and resistance), and this was particularly affected in older hypertensive patients.
“Changes in lung mechanics are expected as a natural result of the aging process, but basically the study shows that hypertension accelerates the hardening of the bronchi and that physical exercise keeps this process partially at bay,” Vieira said.
“This is very important as the more hardened the bronchi become, the more difficult it becomes for air to enter and leave the lungs. In the long run, this accelerated process of hardening of the bronchi makes breathing difficult for older people. Worse still, it’s a cycle: lower oxygen saturation accelerates the aging process throughout the organism.”
The consequences do not stop there. “Acceleration of aging increases the risk of cancer, non-transmissible chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart attack, and thrombosis. This highlights the importance of including care of the lungs in the treatment of hypertension,” he said.
Exercise for the heart and lungs
The same researchers examined the relationship between exercise and protection against artery and bronchi hardening caused by hypertension in a different group of 150 older volunteers in another study that has not yet been published. They focused on how much rigidity could alter blood flow and cause aneurysms or thrombosis (hemodynamics). The participants underwent a three-month training regimen that included three weekly workouts.
“Physical exercise all but eliminated these cardiovascular alterations. This proves once again that physical activity must be part of the lives of older people. There’s no such thing as healthy aging with sedentarism,” Vieira said.
Source:
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Journal reference:
Alves, M., et al. (2024) Physically Active Lifestyle Attenuates Impairments on Lung Function and Mechanics in Hypertensive Older Adults. Advances in Respiratory Medicine. doi.org/10.3390/arm92040027.
