The possibility that long-term isometric handgrip exercise contributes to left atrial enlargement in patients with hypertension

Hypertension guidelines recommend isometric handgrip exercise (IHG) as a non-pharmacological treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate whether IHG is safe for hypertensive patients. The participants were mostly middle-aged to elderly patients with hypertension. Participants wore a pedometer for 4 weeks and were then divided into two groups: Those who had taken at least 7000 steps per day were placed in an IHG-only group (n = 11), and those who took fewer steps were placed in an IHG + walking group (n = 4). Both groups then performed IHG for 12 weeks. No significant blood pressure reduction occurred from before to after intervention in either group. In the IHG-only group, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was significantly higher and left atrial (LA) volume (24.6 ± 9.1 to 36.4 ± 17.9 mL, P =.007) was significantly larger after intervention than before. Long-term IHG may induce both LA enlargement and increased BNP in hypertensive patients.