Effect of Aquatic Exercise Training on Aortic Hemodynamics in Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults

• Published in: Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine Vol. 8; p. 770519
• Main Authors: Fukuie, Marina, Yamabe, Takayuki, Hoshi, Daisuke, Hashitomi, Tatsuya, Nomura, Yosuke, Sugawara, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media SA 02.11.2021; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: aortic blood pressure; aquatic exercise; Cardiovascular Medicine; Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system; polar coordinate description; RC666-701; reflection wave; Windkessel function
• DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.770519
• ISSN: 2297-055X

Aquatic exercise is an attractive form of exercise that utilizes the various properties of water to improve physical health, including arterial stiffness. However, it is unclear whether regular head-out aquatic exercise affects aortic hemodynamics, the emerging risk factors for future cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether head-out aquatic exercise training improves aortic hemodynamics in middle-aged and elderly people. In addition, to shed light on the underlying mechanisms, we determined the contribution of change in arterial stiffness to the hypothesized changes in aortic hemodynamics. Twenty-three middle-aged and elderly subjects (62 ± 9 years) underwent a weekly aquatic exercise course for 15 weeks. Aortic hemodynamics were evaluated by pulse wave analysis via the general transfer function method. Using a polar coordinate description, companion metrics of aortic pulse pressure (PPC = √{(systolic blood pressure) 2 + (diastolic blood pressure) 2 }) and augmentation index (AIxC = √{(augmentation pressure) 2 + (pulse pressure) 2 }) were calculated as measures of arterial load. Brachial-ankle (baPWV, reflecting stiffness of the abdominal aorta and leg artery) and heart-ankle (haPWV, reflecting stiffness of the whole aortic and leg artery) pulse wave velocities were also measured. The rate of participation in the aquatic training program was 83.5 ± 13.0%. Aortic systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, PPC, AIxC, baPWV, and haPWV decreased after the training ( P < 0.05 for all), whereas augmentation index remained unchanged. Changes in aortic SBP were correlated with changes in haPWV ( r = 0.613, P = 0.002) but not baPWV ( r = 0.296, P = 0.170). These findings suggest that head-out aquatic exercise training may improve aortic hemodynamics in middle-aged and elderly people, with the particular benefits for reducing aortic SBP which is associated with proximal aortic stiffness.