Evaluation of exercise and potassium chloride supplementation on blood pressure and nociceptive threshold in hypertensive rats.

Hypertensive subjects present an increased nociceptive threshold, and the lack or delay of pain perception may impede detection of angina and myocardial infarction. Nutritional interventions, like potassium chloride (KCl) diet supplementation, and exercises are common nonpharmacological indications for treating hypertension. Spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive male Wistar rats were submitted to a combination of exercise and KCl diet supplementation. Exercise reduced the nociceptive threshold in SHR; however, this effect was inhibited by KCl supplementation. Exercise and KCl supplementation did not alter systolic blood pressure. Reduction of the nociceptive threshold by exercise may be important for the detection of angina and myocardial infarction in hypertensive individuals.