Exercise prescription program to reduce cardiovascular risk factors: comparison between cancer and hypertensive patients

INTRODUCTION: Despite the positive effects of the exercise therapy in patients with chronic disease has been well demonstrated, however the global response and any possible differences among different kinds of diseases, after a short period of an unsupervised program, it has not yet well investigated. AIM:The study aims to verify the effects of fast walking associated to a resistance exercise to improve the cardiovascular risk factor. METHODS: Two groups of subjects (10 cancer survivorshipand19 hypertensive) were submitted to an evaluation of exercise tolerance with 6-Minute Walking Test (6MWT), assessing heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure at rest and at the end of the 6MWT. Bioimpedance measure the distribution of the Intra and Extracellular water, the Sit & Reach Test evalueted the flexibility, Handgrip and 30’’ Chair Test for muscular strength. From the 6MWT data, the intensity and duration of exercise was established per each patients. The exams were performed at the beginning and after 3 month of regular physical exercise. RESULTS: A significant reduction of anthropometric parameters it has been observed in the hypertensive population. A significant improvement in water distribution was also observed. A predominant improvement of the cardiovascular parameters was on the contrary observed in cancer group. CONCLUSION: A combined aerobic and resistance exercise program can induce a predominant modification of the cardiovascular risk factors in a hypertensive population. On the contrary it is more evident in a population affected of cancer, the improvement of the exercise tolerance and the flexibility parameters more frequently related to the muscles fatigue. The same program seems to be therefore adequate for both, despite in presence of different kind of chronic disease and with apparent different risk factors. Further studies will be anyway necessary to investigate the main cause of this diverse sensibility.