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Effect of Isometric Handgrip Training on Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Patients With Hypertension

Effect of Isometric Handgrip Training on Ambulatory Blood Pressure: a Multi-center Study

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03896334
Acronym
ISOPRESS
Enrollment
139
Registered
2019-03-29
Start date
2019-04-05
Completion date
2025-12-31
Last updated
2026-06-10

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hypertension

Brief summary

Meta-analysis studies have demonstrated that isometric training with handgrip promotes reductions in clinical blood pressure, reaching 8 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 4 mmHg for diastolic. However, the effects of this training modality on ambulatory blood pressure, which is better discriminant of cardiovascular risk than clinical BP, remains uncertain. Thus, the ISOPRESS Network, consists of researchers from Brazilian institutions of education and research (Federal University of Santa Catarina, Federal University of Amazonas, Federal University of Sergipe, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco and Universidade Nove de Julho), will conduct a multi-center study to analyze the effects of isometric handgrip training on clinic and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure in patients with hypertension. For this, each research center will conduct a randomized controlled trial with medicated patients with hypertension, of both sex. The participants will be randomized into two groups: isometric handgrip training group (HBT: n = 25 per center) and control group (CG: n = 25 per center).Subjects assigned to the HBT will train three times per week, four sets of 2-min isometric contractions (using alternate hands) at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction, during 24 weeks. Subjects randomized to the CG will perform stretching and relaxation exercises three times per week, during 24 weeks. The evaluations will occur in three moments: baseline, post-12 and post-24 weeks. The primary outcome will be ambulatory blood pressure, while clinic blood pressure and cardiac autonomic modulation will be analyzed as secondary outcomes. For data analysis, in addition to descriptive statistics, two-way ANOVA for mixed model will be applied for within and between groups comparison. The level of significance that will be adopted is p\<0.05.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALSupervised Isometric Handgrip Training

The participants randomized to the experimental group will perform 24 weeks of isometric handgrip exercise training, three times/week for 16 minutes with time to rest.

BEHAVIORALSham comparator - stretching and relaxation exercises

The participants randomized to the control group (active comparator) will perform 24 weeks of stretching and relaxation exercise training, three times/week for 16 minutes with time to rest.

Sponsors

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
Lead SponsorOTHER
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
CollaboratorOTHER_GOV

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of hypertension, controlled by up to three antihypertensive medications * Blood pressure levels between 130 and 180 mmHg * No high cardiovascular risk (no other cardiovascular, metabolic or pulmonary disease nor any signals or symptoms of these disease) * Not engaged in a physical exercise program for at least six months * Not present cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment ≥ 26 points)

Exclusion criteria

* Adherence to less than 85% of training sessions * Diagnosis of other cardiovascular diseases or diabetes during the course of the study * Adherence to another supervised physical exercise program * Change in medication class and/ or dose during the study * Aggravation of the disease (i.e. blood pressure above 180 or use of four or more medications).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in ambulatory systolic blood pressureBaseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks24h-ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
Change in ambulatory diastolic blood pressureBaseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks24h-ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
Change in ambulatory mean blood pressureBaseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks24h-ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in clinic systolic blood pressureBaseline, 12 weeks 24 weeksClinic blood pressure will be checked using an automatic instrument
Change in clinic diastolic blood pressureBaseline, 12 weeks 24 weeksClinic blood pressure will be checked using an automatic instrument
Change in clinic mean blood pressureBaseline, 12 weeks 24 weeksClinic blood pressure will be checked using an automatic instrument
Change in heart rate variabilityBaseline, 12 weeks 24 weeksFor heart rate variability assessment, R-R interval will be obtained using a heart rate monitor (POLAR, RS 800CX), following the recommendations of the Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American.

Countries

Brazil

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 11, 2026