Effects of Lesion Laterality on Cardiovascular Responses of Post Stroke Hemiparetic Patients to A Single Bout of Exercise

The aim of this study was to determine how hemiparetic stroke patients with dominant or non-dominant side brain lesion respond to a single bout of exercise. Participants were 14 dominant (DSH) and 17 non-dominant side hemiparetic (NDSH) stroke patients recruited from among those receiving physiotherapy on an outpatient basis at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. Twenty age-matched individuals with no known neurological impairments served as the control group (CG). Pre-exercise systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR) and rate pressure product (RPP) were assessed. Participants performed a 6-minute level ground walk test at their own selected walking speed, after which their immediate post-walk cardiovascular parameters were determined. One-way ANOVA revealed no significant difference in the baseline cardiovascular parameters across the three groups; the NDSH group recorded significantly higher HR than their DSH counterparts. Post walk mean values showed significant difference in all but one (HR; p = 0.10) of the cardiovascular parameters of the three groups. Post hocanalyses showed no significant difference in the post walk SBP and DBP of the DSH and NDSH groups, but the NDSH group had significantly higher RPP than the DSH group. The within- group comparison showed that the exercise caused significant increase in HR (NDSH, CG), SBP (DSH, NDSH), DBP and RPP (all groups) of the participants. The results suggest that laterality had no significant effect on cardiovascular response of hemiparetic stroke patients to the exercise. However, when compared with non-stroke apparently healthy individuals, both groups of hemiparetic stroke subjects recorded significantly higher SBP, DBP and RPP responses to the 6-minute walk test.