Effects of Age and Exercise on Blood Pressure Regulation

December 10, 2009 updated by: National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Arterial Stiffness With Age: Part 1 and 2

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of age, exercise and cardiovascular disease on blood pressure.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is being done to find out how age, activity level, and the presence of heart disease affect the way the body controls blood pressure. A total of 80 individuals will be recruited for the study, and will consist of two groups: sedentary healthy individuals and those with coronary artery disease (CAD). Each group will undergo screening tests, including history, questionnaires, physical exam, lab tests, treadmill exercise tolerance test, and maximal exercise test. These screening tests will be repeated at 3 months and 6 months.

The study involves 20 visits over a 6-month period. An exercise-training program will be designed for the individual's fitness level. During the first month, the individual will be supervised while exercising at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, but after that may choose to exercise at home or in a fitness center. These exercise sessions will take place 3-5 times per week for 15-40 minutes per session based on the individual's exercise program, increasing to 4-6 times per week for 30-60 minutes per session after the first month. Participants will be required to visit Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital a minimum of once every two weeks so that information can be collected from a heart rate monitor.

Testing is done at the beginning and end of the exercise-training intervention period to determine what effect the intervention has had on the individual's blood pressure regulation. This testing consists of 2 sequential study days. During the first day's testing, which will last about 2 hours, the participant will receive 8 low doses of atropine to alter vagal effects. On the second day, which will take about 4 hours, the participant will receive sodium nitroprusside, phenylephrine, and low-dose atropine while sympathetic nervous activity is recorded. Differences in blood pressure regulation pre- and post-training will be studied.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Anticipated)

80

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Recruiting
        • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • J. Andrew Taylor, PhD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

55 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Sedentary Older Individuals Group:

  • Healthy men and women ages 55-75
  • Normally physically active (performing regular aerobic exercise less than 60 minutes per week) with aerobic capacities below the 80th percentile for age and gender

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Group:

  • Men and women ages 55-75
  • Written authorization from participant's cardiologist to participate in the study (Note: if Dr. Zervos is the participant's cardiologist, their primary care physician will also be asked to give written authorization)
  • Documented CAD by previous MI or angiography

Exclusion Criteria:

General exclusion criteria for all groups:

  • Neurological diseases
  • Diabetes
  • History of migraine headaches
  • Hypertension
  • Glaucoma
  • Pacemaker
  • History of stroke or TIA
  • High cholesterol
  • Current cancer
  • Benign prostatic hyperplasia
  • Allergy to sulfa
  • Carotid disease
  • Currently taking anti-depression, anti-psychotic, or anti-anxiety medications

Sedentary Older Individuals Group:

  • Coronary artery or carotid vascular disease

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Group:

  • Myocardial Infarction (MI), Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) or Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) in the last 3 months
  • Unstable angina, EF branch block severe valvular disease, chronic atrial fibrillation, and frequent atrial or ventricular arrhythmias (including more than 3 PVCs or APCs per minute)
  • Currently taking anticoagulants or any cardioactive medications other than ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, and beta-blockers

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: J. Andrew Taylor, PhD, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  • Principal Investigator: Gerasimos Zervos, MD, Chief of Nuclear Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

April 1, 2004

Study Completion

March 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 26, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 26, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

April 27, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 14, 2009

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 10, 2009

Last Verified

January 1, 2009

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AG0063
  • R01AG014376 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Cardiovascular Disease

Clinical Trials on Exercise-Training Program

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Taiwan

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe