Impact of age and sex on neural cardiovascular responsiveness to cold pressor test in humans
Key result
The cold pressor test elicited a more rapid initial rise in muscle sympathetic nerve activity in older women compared with older men (Δ43 vs Δ15 bursts/100 heartbeats; P=0.01).
Why the study?
Blood pressure reactivity to the cold pressor test helps predict hypertension, but the impact of age and sex on hemodynamic and neural responsiveness to cold pressor testing remains equivocal.
Does age and sex impact neural cardiovascular responsiveness to the cold pressor test in humans?
Population
43 young men and women and 16 older men and women
Comparison
Young men, young women, older men, and older women during baseline vs 2-min CPT
Design
Physiological cross-sectional study
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Supports sex differences in sympathetic reactivity among older adults; leaves open mechanistic role in postmenopausal hypertension.
Study Design
Type
Cross-Sectional (n=59)
Structured PICO
Does age and sex impact neural cardiovascular responsiveness to the cold pressor test in humans?
P
Population
59 young and older men and women who underwent a cold pressor test to evaluate neural cardiovascular responsiveness.
E
Exposure
2-minute cold pressor test (CPT)
C
Comparator
3- to 5-minute baseline period
O
Outcome
Hemodynamic (blood pressure via finger plethysmography) and neural (muscle sympathetic nerve activity via microneurography) responsivenesssurrogate
Main Result
Absolute Event Rate: 43% vs 15%
p-value: p=0.01
Older women exhibit greater sympathetic reactivity to cold stress than older men, which may be a contributing mechanism to increased hypertension risk in postmenopausal women.
Cite This Study
Keller‐Ross et al. (2020) reported a cross-sectional. Cold pressor test vs. Older men was evaluated on Change in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) during cold pressor test (p=0.01). The cold pressor test elicited a more rapid initial rise in muscle sympathetic nerve activity in older women compared with older men (Δ43 vs Δ15 bursts/100 heartbeats; P=0.01).