Effects of different physical exercise types on health outcomes of individuals with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a prospective randomized controlled clinical study.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the impacts of different types of physical exercise on health outcomes of individuals with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs).

METHODS

Forty individuals with HDPs admitted to a tertiary hospital providing maternal and pediatric care between July 2023 and March 2024 were enrolled in this prospective randomized controlled clinical study and completed a ≥4-week intervention. Data were collected before the intervention and before delivery. Participants were assigned randomly to control (no exercise intervention), aerobic exercise (AE), resistance training (RT), and AE + RT groups. All participants downloaded a mobile health-education app for gestational hypertension developed by our research group. Exercise videos in the app guided participants' performance of different types of exercise. General information; physical activity and sleep quality data; morning blood pressure, lipid profiles, and urinary micro-albumin/creatinine ratios; serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), and advanced oxidation protein product (AOPP) concentrations; and pregnancy outcome data were collected and compared among groups.

RESULTS

After the intervention, the physical activity status, sleep quality, morning blood pressure, lipid profiles, urinary micro-albumin/creatinine ratios, and pregnancy outcomes differed significantly among all groups comparing with control (all p < .05). In the three exercise groups, the serum sFlt-1, PlGF, and AOPPs levels improved significantly (all p < .05). All differences were most pronounced in the AE + RT group.

LIMITATIONS: The study period was relatively short. The further long-term follow-up research is needed. A larger sample size study is also needed.

CONCLUSIONS

The study results suggest that AE + RT interventions are beneficial for individuals with HDPs in clinical settings, and could be implemented with careful consideration of individuals' specific conditions.