Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the participants with prehypertension (Pre‐HT) and optimal blood pressure (Opt BP)
| Variable | All (n = 556) | Opt BP (n = 277) | Pre‐HT (n = 279) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical variables | ||||
| Age, y | 52.9 ± 8.6 | 51.6 ± 8.3 | 54.1 ± 8.6 | .001 |
| Male, n (%) | 293 (52.7) | 135 (48.7) | 158 (56.6) | .074 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 23.9 ± 3.1 | 23.2 ± 2.8 | 24.6 ± 3.2 | <.001 |
| Systolic BP, mm Hg | 119.1 ± 10.4 | 110.5 ± 6.5 | 127.7 ± 5.0 | <.001 |
| Diastolic BP, mm Hg | 71.4 ± 8.4 | 66.0 ± 6.5 | 76.9 ± 6.4 | <.001 |
| HR, bpm | 78.7 ± 11.6 | 79.0 ± 11.5 | 78.4 ± 11.6 | .548 |
| Laboratory findings | ||||
| HbA1c, % | 5.6 ± 0.6 | 5.5 ± 0.5 | 5.7 ± 0.7 | .009 |
| Fasting glucose, mg/dL | 98.7 ± 16.7 | 96.4 ± 15.6 | 101.0 ± 17.3 | .001 |
| HOMA‐IR | 1.09 ± 0.98 | 0.92 ± 0.85 | 1.26 ± 1.06 | <.001 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 0.87 ± 0.20 | 0.85 ± 0.18 | 0.89 ± 0.22 | .015 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 200.1 ± 37.4 | 200.1 ± 37.0 | 200.0 ± 37.9 | .973 |
| Triglyceride, mg/dL | 112.0 ± 71.8 | 107.6 ± 73.0 | 116.4 ± 70.4 | .149 |
| HDL‐cholesterol, mg/dL | 50.4 ± 13.1 | 52.4 ± 13.6 | 48.5 ± 12.2 | <.001 |
| LDL‐cholesterol, mg/dL | 124.4 ± 32.9 | 123.1 ± 31.7 | 125.3 ± 34.1 | .445 |
| Brachial‐ankle PWV, m/s | 13.85 ± 1.80 | 13.16 ± 1.43 | 14.54 ± 1.87 | <.001 |
| Echocardiographic findings | ||||
| LV ejection fraction, % | 67.1 ± 5.1 | 67.6 ± 5.0 | 66.5 ± 5.1 | .011 |
| LV mass index, g/m2 | 79.1 ± 15.2 | 75.7 ± 13.6 | 82.6 ± 15.9 | <.001 |
| E/e’ ratio | 8.5 ± 2.2 | 8.1 ± 2.0 | 8.8 ± 2.4 | <.001 |
| Cardiopulmonary exercise data | ||||
| Exercise time, s | 602 ± 143 | 612 ± 141 | 592 ± 144 | .107 |
| Peak systolic BP, mm Hg | 156.8 ± 24.4 | 148.2 ± 22.8 | 165.5 ± 22.9 | <.001 |
| Peak diastolic BP, mm Hg | 73.9 ± 12.0 | 70.5 ± 10.6 | 77.3 ± 12.3 | <.001 |
| Peak heart rate, bpm | 143.0 ± 11.1 | 144.0 ± 10.9 | 142.0 ± 11.2 | .042 |
| Peak VO2, mL/kg/min | 25.2 ± 7.3 | 25.2 ± 7.2 | 25.2 ± 7.4 | .941 |
| Recovery 1 min HR, bpm | 105.3 ± 14.4 | 104.7 ± 14.1 | 106.0 ± 14.6 | .271 |
| HRR1, bpm | 37.7 ± 14.6 | 39.3 ± 14.7 | 36.0 ± 14.5 | .009 |
Data are presented as a number (percentage) or mean ± standard deviation. Student's t‐test and the chi‐square test were used to compare the characteristics of the two BP groups. BP, blood pressure; HR, heart rate; HOMA‐IR, homeostatic model assessment‐estimated insulin resistance; HDL, high‐density lipoprotein; LDL, low‐density lipoprotein; LV, left ventricular; PWV, pulse wave velocity; and HRR1, heart rate recovery at 1 min post‐exercise.