P141 CHARACTERIZING HYPERTENSION AMONG RECREATIONAL CYCLISTS: THE ATLÁNTICO CYCLISTS STUDY (ACS)

Background and Objective: Physical activity is a crucial component for the prevention of chronic diseases including hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. Recent studies suggest a higher prevalence of hypertension among young athletes and active individuals. Exercise-induced hypertension (EIH), defined by elevated systolic blood pressure during exercise, is now recognized as a potential risk factor for sudden cardiac death. Cycling, a high-impact dynamic exercise, is associated with EIH. Our study aimed to determine the frequency of hypertension, EIH, and pre-exercise medical evaluation among recreational cyclists. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on adult (≥18 years) recreational cyclists in the Department of Atlántico, Colombia. Participants were selected via convenience sampling and a structured survey was applied including demographic data, past medical history, and exercise habits. Blood pressure was measured using a validated automatic sphygmomanometer, with two post-exercise measurements taken 3 minutes apart. Weight, height, waist circumference, heart rate, and oxygen saturation were also collected. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the findings (SPSS version 26 for Mac). Results: A total of 355 individuals were included. They were mostly male (84.5%) and older than 45 (75.8%). The most common comorbidities and risk factors were hypertension (22%), hypercholesterolemia (11.8%), and hypertriglyceridemia (7.3%). Furthermore, 10.4% had tobacco use disorder and 65.3% had a body mass index consistent with overweight/obesity (Table 1). No patients fulfilled the criteria for EIH (defined as systolic blood pressure exceeding 210 mmHg for men and 190 mmHg for women). Only 20.6% (n=73) underwent medical evaluation before starting to cycle. Conclusions: In this sample of recreational cyclists, we did not identify any cases of exercise-induced hypertension. Despite the number of comorbidities, only one of every five participants had a prior medical evaluation before exercising. Further measures to encourage routine health screening in this population are needed. Table 1. Baseline characteristics and blood pressure results among recreational cyclists (n = 355)