An interventional study of Supervised Isometric Handgrip Training and Sham comparator - stretching and relaxation exercises in Hypertension, sponsored by Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Completed at 5 sites in Brazil. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-10.
Sponsored by Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Meta-analysis studies have demonstrated that isometric training with handgrip promotes reductions in clinical blood pressure, reaching 8 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 4 mmHg for diastolic. However, the effects of this training modality on ambulatory blood pressure, which is better discriminant of cardiovascular risk than clinical BP, remains uncertain. Thus, the ISOPRESS Network, consists of researchers from Brazilian institutions of education and research (Federal University of Santa Catarina, Federal University of Amazonas, Federal University of Sergipe, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco and Universidade Nove de Julho), will conduct a multi-center study to analyze the effects of isometric handgrip training on clinic and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure in patients with hypertension. For this, each research center will conduct a randomized controlled trial with medicated patients with hypertension, of both sex. The participants will be randomized into two groups: isometric handgrip training group (HBT: n = 25 per center) and control group (CG: n = 25 per center).Subjects assigned to the HBT will train three times per week, four sets of 2-min isometric contractions (using alternate hands) at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction, during 24 weeks. Subjects randomized to the CG will perform stretching and relaxation exercises three times per week, during 24 weeks. The evaluations will occur in three moments: baseline, post-12 and post-24 weeks. The primary outcome will be ambulatory blood pressure, while clinic blood pressure and cardiac autonomic modulation will be analyzed as secondary outcomes. For data analysis, in addition to descriptive statistics, two-way ANOVA for mixed model will be applied for within and between groups comparison. The level of significance that will be adopted is p\<0.05.
6,114 studies on the registry are indexed under Hypertension; 912 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 139 is above the median of 100 across 4,575 interventional studies indexed under Hypertension.
Browse Hypertension studies →Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina is the lead sponsor of 24 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
MMSE and MoCA
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
All participants that will be assigned to supervised isometric handgrip training will train three times per week, during 24 weeks. They will perform a bout of isometric handgrip exercise: four sets of 2-min of isometric contractions (using alternate hands) at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction.
Behavioral: Supervised Isometric Handgrip Training
All participants randomized to control group will realize stretching and relaxation exercises, three times per week, during 24 weeks.
Behavioral: Sham comparator - stretching and relaxation exercises
The participants randomized to the experimental group will perform 24 weeks of isometric handgrip exercise training, three times/week for 16 minutes with time to rest.
The participants randomized to the control group (active comparator) will perform 24 weeks of stretching and relaxation exercise training, three times/week for 16 minutes with time to rest.
Change in ambulatory systolic blood pressure
24h-ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
Time frame: Baseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks
Change in ambulatory diastolic blood pressure
24h-ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
Time frame: Baseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks
Change in ambulatory mean blood pressure
24h-ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
Time frame: Baseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks
Change in clinic systolic blood pressure
Clinic blood pressure will be checked using an automatic instrument
Time frame: Baseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks
Change in clinic diastolic blood pressure
Clinic blood pressure will be checked using an automatic instrument
Time frame: Baseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks
Change in clinic mean blood pressure
Clinic blood pressure will be checked using an automatic instrument
Time frame: Baseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks
Change in heart rate variability
For heart rate variability assessment, R-R interval will be obtained using a heart rate monitor (POLAR, RS 800CX), following the recommendations of the Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American.
Time frame: Baseline, 12 weeks 24 weeks
Plan to share: Undecided
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Ran from Apr 2019 to primary completion in Jul 2024, 63 months.
Of 1,403 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Hypertension, half reached primary completion within 23 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 41. This study's 63 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,498 studies reached it within 23 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 41.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina