A new study has found that high blood pressure can impair one’s breathing capacity by hardening the airways in the respiratory system, thereby increasing resistance. The study was a study published in the journal Advances in Respiratory Medicine and conducted by researchers from the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The study, however, found that being physically active can help by improving the functioning of respiratory muscles, resulting in better coordination between ventilation and blood flow in the lungs. Hypertension is a condition in which one’s blood pressure remains unusually high. The condition is also known to thicken the blood vessels and harden the arteries.

The researchers said that something similar happens with the bronchi which are branches of the main windpipe (trachea) in the respiratory system as well.

Rodolfo de Paula Vieira, an invited professor at the Federal University of Sao Paulo and last author said, “This is very important as the more hardened the bronchi becomes, the more difficult it becomes for air to enter and leave the lungs. In the long run, this accelerated process of hardening of the bronchi makes breathing difficult for older people. Worse still, it's a cycle: lower oxygen saturation accelerates the ageing process throughout the organism.”

However, performing physical activity was found to partly protect the airways from hardening due to increased blood pressure. The authors said, “We conclude that systemic arterial hypertension compromises lung function and mechanics in older adults and that a physically active lifestyle seems to partially accentuate these impairments. Thus, having a physically active lifestyle can mitigate these hypertension-induced pulmonary alterations in older adults.”

Vieira said while hypertension has been known to impair lung function, the mechanism involved was not clearly understood until now.

For the study, the researchers gauged the respiratory function of over 700 men and women aged 60 years or more, with or without high blood pressure, along with air resistance. Muscle strength was assessed by looking at hand grip, while respiratory muscle strength was assessed by measuring air pressure as the participants inhaled and exhaled.

They also responded to questionnaires regarding their physical activity habits and quality of life. Vieira said that the findings highlighted the need to look at lung function in patients having high blood pressure.

“Our findings show that physicians should refer patients diagnosed with high blood pressure to a specialist for tests to assess lung function and mechanics, especially older patients,” Vieira said.

While changes to lung function are expected as one age, the study showed that physical exercise can partly protect the lungs from the effects of hypertension, the researcher added. Therefore, older patients “should also be given guidance on the importance of an active lifestyle to avoid loss of lung function due to high blood pressure,” Vieira said.

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