The Impact of Yoga on Blood Pressure and Quality of Life in Patients With Hypertension

NCT ID: NCT01302535

Last Updated: 2012-02-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 83 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2011-03-31
• Study Completion Date: 2011-06-30

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of yoga on blood pressure and quality of life in patients in primary health care diagnosed with hypertension within the last year. Another purpose is to examine whether the possible effect on blood pressure differs if patients practice yoga in a group lead by a yoga-trainer or receive a few yoga-exercises from their doctor to be practiced individually at home.

Detailed Description

Hypertension is one of the most common diseases in the industrialized world. In Sweden alone approximately 1.8 million persons, 25% of the adult population, have hypertension. Hypertension is a common diagnosis in primary health care and the costs of investigating and treating hypertension and its consequences are considerable. We know that stress can affect blood pressure, but it is hard to measure and control.

Previous studies have separately shown that yoga can reduce levels of cortisol in saliva and lower blood pressure. However, few studies have investigated the effects of yoga on hypertension and we lack information about the possibility of using yoga in primary health care to reduce hypertension.

If yoga can be used to complement antihypertensive medicines, it could reduce medicine intake and thereby possibly reduce side effects and lower medicine costs. It is to be hoped that patients will also experience a higher quality of life if they perform yoga on a regular basis.

Conditions

Hypertension

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Yoga group with supervision/trainer

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Yoga group with supervision (trainer)

Intervention Type: OTHER

The Yoga-with-trainer group will meet once a week (60 minutes) to practice yoga with a yoga instructor. The participants will be encouraged to practice yoga between the yoga classes at home for 30 minutes a day.

Yoga at home

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Yoga at home

Intervention Type: OTHER

The participants in the Yoga-at-home group will get a private doctor appointment (20 minutes) where they get instructions for two yoga exercises which they are encouraged to perform at home 15 minutes a day.

Control

No changes will be made for the participants in the control group, but they will undergo the same measurements and evaluations as the intervention groups.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Yoga group with supervision (trainer)

The Yoga-with-trainer group will meet once a week (60 minutes) to practice yoga with a yoga instructor. The participants will be encouraged to practice yoga between the yoga classes at home for 30 minutes a day.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Yoga at home

The participants in the Yoga-at-home group will get a private doctor appointment (20 minutes) where they get instructions for two yoga exercises which they are encouraged to perform at home 15 minutes a day.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Diagnosed with hypertension since at least one year.
• Blood pressure 120/80-160/100 mmHg at the last blood pressure control by doctor or nurse.

Exclusion Criteria

• Blood pressure >180 systolic and/or >110 diastolic by the initial control in the study.
• Blood pressure <120 systolic by the initial control in the study.
• Medical adjustments regarding hypertension within 4 weeks prior to begin of study.
• Expected inability to understand instructions about yoga exercises (e.g dementia and mental retardation) or physical or psychical inability to carry out yoga exercises (e.g severe physical or psychical handicap).
• Need for interpreter. Linguistic/language difficulties
• Older than 80 years

• Maximum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

The Swedish Research Council

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Region Skane

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Moa Wolff

General practitioner

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Moa Wolff, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lunds University

Locations

Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lunds University

Malmo, , Sweden

Countries

Sweden

References

Wolff M, Memon AA, Chalmers JP, Sundquist K, Midlov P. Yoga's effect on inflammatory biomarkers and metabolic risk factors in a high risk population - a controlled trial in primary care. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2015 Aug 19;15:91. doi: 10.1186/s12872-015-0086-1.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 26286137 (View on PubMed)

Wolff M, Sundquist K, Larsson Lonn S, Midlov P. Impact of yoga on blood pressure and quality of life in patients with hypertension - a controlled trial in primary care, matched for systolic blood pressure. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2013 Dec 7;13:111. doi: 10.1186/1471-2261-13-111.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 24314119 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

2010/728

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id