Effect of cardiorespiratory fitness on mortality among hypertensive and normotensive women and men

Background: The effects of fitness on mortality either from cardiovascular disease (CVD) or from all causes, among hypertensive adults, are not fully understood, especially among women. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of fitness on all-cause and CVD mortality among hypertensive and normotensive women and men. Methods: Using the Lipids Research Clinics Prevalence Study, we examined the relationship of fitness with mortality among 2712 women and 3000 men followed from 1972-1976 to 1998. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured using a treadmill test. Sex-specific hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated from proportional hazard models of fitness predicting all-cause or CVD mortality, adjusted for age, education, race, smoking, alcohol, body mass index, and hyperlipidemic sampling strata. Results: Comparing the lowest with the highest quintile of fitness, the adjusted all-cause mortality among hypertensive women was 1.7 (95% confidence interval = 0.9-3.2) and among normotensive women was 2.3 (1.5-3.7). Comparing the same quintiles of fitness, the adjusted all-cause mortality among hypertensive men was 2.0 (1.2-3.4), and among normotensive men it was 1.9 (1.3-2.7). Elevated risks were also observed for CVD mortality. Conclusion: Higher levels of fitness were associated with a lower risk of all-cause and CVD mortality among both hypertensive and normotensive women and men.