American Heart Association
Hypertension Primer
Respiration & Blood Pressure
B. Gianfranco Parati, MD, FAHA, FESC; Joseph L. Izzo, Jr, MD;
Ben Gavish, PhD

Key Points:
Cyclic respiratory movements cause variability in heart rate and blood pressure at the respiratory frequency.
The mechanism of respiratory-induced cardiovascular variability are mechanical, neural and metabolic, involving volume alterations, cardiopulmonary and arterial baroreceptors, and chemoreceptors. A number of pathological conditions, including congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnea and cardiac tamponde, are characterized by significant respiration-induced changes in pressure and heart rate.
'Chronic use of slow-breathing exercises reduces sympathetic activity, causes vasolidation and lowers blood pressure.'

Journal of Human Hypertension
Grossman E, Grossman A, Schein MH, Zimlichman R, Gavish B.
Internal Medicine D, The Chaim Sheba Medical Centre,
Tel-Hashomer, Israel. gross-e@zahav.net.il
Key Points:
'Breathing-control lowers blood pressure.'

US Dept of Health and Human Sciences
National Institutes of Health
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Benefits of Lowering Blood Pressure
The relationship between BP and risk of CVD (cardiovascular disease) events is continuous, consistent and independant of other risk factors. The higher the BP, the greater is the chance of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney disease. Inclinical trials, the antihypertensive therapy has been associated with reductions in stroke incidence averaging 35-40 percent; myocardial infarction, 20-25 percent; and heart failure, more than 50 percent.

Dementia
Dementia and cognitive impairment occur more commonly in people with hypertension. Reduced progession on cogntive impairment may occur with effective antihypertensive therapy.