Introduction: Hypertension is a long term medical condition in which blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated and it is a major health care burden. Long standing hypertension leads to cardiovascular complications and cerebrovascular accidents. It also causes neuronal disturbances affecting the autonomic nervous system. Isometric handgrip exercise test is a non-invasive physiological test which is done using a handgrip dynamometer. It can be used to detect the impairment in the autonomic activity which is seen in individuals who are prone to develop hypertension in the future. Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of isometric hand exercise on blood pressure in identification of hypertensive risk individuals and also to determine the role of handgrip Dynamometer in identifying hypertensive risk individuals. Material and methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study done among 100 healthy normotensive individuals was taken in the study. All participants were apparently healthy at the time of isometric handgrip test. Cardiovascular parameters like systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured before the exercise after following all standard precautions. The subjects were asked to perform the isometric handgrip exercise using the handgrip dynamometer. Blood pressure was recorded at three occasions-before the test, during the test and 5 minutes after the test. Results: In the present study, out of 100 individuals, the mean age was found to be 55 years among the hypertensive individuals. The mean weight was found to be around 78.4± 15.0. The mean value of height was found to be 1.42± 0.06. The mean value of increase in SBP and the DBP during isometric handgrip exercise was significantly higher than the baseline values. The mean difference for SBP was 9.85 with p value 0.0003 which was observed to be highly significant. Conclusion: Isometric handgrip exercise test was found to be useful as a screening test in identification of individuals at risk of developing hypertension.

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The electrocardiogram in 100 subjects was correlated with the severity of obesity. QRS vector shifted to the left with increasing obesity in 42%of people which indicates left ventricular hypertrophy. These changes were independent of age, sex and blood pressuire. Interventricular conduction defect was present in 21% of patients, but t wave inversion was in 14% only. 17% of people had normal ECG, whereas 3% of have showed sinus bradycardia & arrhythmia. The shift of QRS vector to the left and the conduction abnormalities are increasing with increase in obesity. Since theleft ventricular hypertrophyis an important risk factor for sudden cardiac arrest, this non-invasive procedure may be utilized as a routine screening test for obese people for better medical care. Thus, obesity is associated with a wide variety of ECG abnormalities, many of which are corrected by weight loss.