Yoga practice and vascular health in elderly with hypertension

2^nd International Congress on Restorative & Alternative Medicine

November 06-07, 2017 | Vienna, Austria

Satish Patil

Shri B M Patil Medical College, India

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Altern Integr Med

Abstract :

Aging is one of the most important and powerful risk factors for the development of cardiovascular (CV) disease. Ageassociated decline in vascular function and its integrity is the major event that most often impacts on the health of elderly people and longevity. The major structural and functional changes associated with vascular aging are arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, which are mainly implicated in the development of hypertension and CV disease in elderly individuals. Stiffening of elastic artery with age causes decline or failure in expansion of aorta during ventricular systole leading to elevation in systolic blood pressure (SBP) (isolated systolic hypertension) and failure in recoiling of aorta during diastole causes fall in the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) thus resulting in widening of pulse pressure. Moreover, arterial stiffness is an independent and strong predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in hypertensive patients, and also in well-functioning older adults as well. Other major factors that contribute to hypertension through vascular dysfunction in aging are oxidative stress, inflammation and sympathetic over-activity. Patients with hypertension and CV disease are often resistant to pharmacological treatment and are associated with multiple co-morbidities. They require multiple drug therapy leading to increase in the cost of treatment. Therefore, an alternative holistic approach that controls/reduces the aging effect on vasculature with least adverse effects and cost of therapy is the need of the hour. We endeavored to study the effect of yoga on cardiovascular health of older individuals with mild hypertension. We have reported that yoga can reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness. It improves endothelial function, reduce sympathetic activity and induce beneficial modulation in sympathovagal balance. Yoga can also reduce age-associated oxidative stress and enhance antioxidant capacity. Further, a beneficial change in cardiac function with yoga practice has also been observed