Single Session of Active Video Game Promotes Post Exercise Hypotension in Middle-aged Hypertensive

Volunteers of study Participated of this study 15 hypertensive patients of both genders, five of them men. All participants were obese grade I and were using drug therapy. Were adopted as inclusion criteria: 1) be hypertensive; 2) age between 45 and 59 years old and 3) not perform regular exercise; 4) not use of beta-blockers drugs and calcium channel blockers; 5) not be affected by labyrinthitis; 6) women be not in menopause, and, 4) be not practitioners of VGA. Already as exclusion criteria: 1) modifying the antihypertensive treatment during treatment; and 2) Not have developed the ability to play during the adaptation period.

This study was approved by the Ethics in Research Committee of the University Hospital Lauro Wanderley under protocol nº 201/11 and after subjects having been cleared up all the procedures of the study, the subjects were asked to sign the Term of Free and Informed Consent (TFIC) according to the Resolution 196/96 of the National Health Council.

Study Design The subjects were submitted to five protocols lasting 60 minutes: 1- Game in VGA (Dance Dance Revolution ®); 2- Walking/running reproducing the intensity obtained in the session with VGA; 3- Walking/running with intensity between 60% and 85% of MHR; 4- sedentary video game (VGS) and 5- A session control without exercise (CON), where participants remained at rest. The order of sessions was determined randomly and were carried at with a minimum of 48 hours between them. The intensity was monitored by measurements of HR and PE. BP and cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM) were assessed before and for a period of 60 minutes after exercise, at intervals of 10 minutes between each measurement.

Adaptation to the game and instructions before study Before starting the experimental protocols, the volunteers performed three sessions of adaptation with 20 minutes duration each. In these sessions, they were instructed about the proper way of handling the VGA and VGS instruments, which were passed the necessary guidance on the different directions of arrows used in the game. These three sessions proved sufficient for them to understand the dynamics of the two games and obtain enough coordination to play without interruption.

After adaptation period, a schedule was made with voluntaries to the experimental procedures and they were instructed not to drink caffeine-containing foods and drinking alcoholic beverages for at least 48 hours before of the each experimental session.