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Stair climbing activity and vascular function in patients with hypertension

Hypertension Research volume 44, pages 1274–1282 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

We evaluated the relationship between daily stair climbing activity and vascular function as assessed by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) and nitroglycerine-induced vasodilation (NID). This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 374 patients with hypertension were enrolled. The subjects were divided into three groups based on their daily stair climbing habit: no stairs group, climbing stairs to the 2nd-floor group, and climbing stairs to the ≥3rd-floor group. There was a significant difference in FMD between the ≥3rd-floor group and the other two groups (3.3 ± 2.5% vs. 2.3 ± 2.7% and 2.4 ± 2.7%, p = 0.02, respectively). FMD values were similar in the no stairs group and the 2nd-floor group (p = 0.96). There was a significant difference in NID between the no stairs group and the other two groups (7.4 ± 4.2% vs. 10.9 ± 5.3% and 11.3 ± 5.1%, p < 0.001, respectively). NID values were similar in the second-floor group and the ≥3rd-floor group (p = 0.86). These findings suggest that both endothelial function and vascular smooth muscle function are impaired in individuals who do not climb stairs and that endothelial function but not vascular smooth muscle function is impaired in individuals who climb stairs to the second floor compared with individuals who climb stairs to the ≥3rd floor. Stair climbing activity, a simple method for assessing daily physical activity, may reflect vascular function in patients with hypertension.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all of the patients who participated in this study. In addition, we thank Miki Kumiji, Megumi Wakisaka, Ki-ichiro Kawano, and Satoko Michiyama for their excellent secretarial assistance.

Funding

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (18590815 and 21590898 to Y. Higashi).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan

    Takayuki Yamaji, Takahiro Harada, Yu Hashimoto & Yukiko Nakano

  2. Division of Regeneration and Medicine, Medical Center for Translational and Clinical Research, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan

    Masato Kajikawa, Kenichi Yoshimura & Yukihito Higashi

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Medical Center for Translational and Clinical Research, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan

    Kenichi Yoshimura

  4. Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

    Kazuaki Chayama

  5. Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Hiroshima International University, Hiroshima, Japan

    Chikara Goto

  6. Department of Cardiovascular Regeneration and Medicine, Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

    Yiming Han, Aya Mizobuchi, Farina Mohamad Yusoff, Shinji Kishimoto, Tatsuya Maruhashi & Yukihito Higashi

  7. Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan

    Ayumu Nakashima

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Yamaji, T., Harada, T., Hashimoto, Y. et al. Stair climbing activity and vascular function in patients with hypertension. Hypertens Res 44, 1274–1282 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-021-00697-z

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