Key result
Summer linked to ~11-mmHg greater systolic BP reactivity to cold pressor testing than winter.
Why the study?
Although blood pressure exhibits seasonal variation and blood pressure reactivity to a stimulus strongly predicts hypertension and cardiovascular events, the effect of seasonal variation on blood pressure reactivity to stress is not well understood.
Does seasonal variation (summer vs. winter) affect blood pressure reactivity to the cold pressor test and handgrip test in healthy young adults?
Observational (n=45)
No
Does seasonal variation (summer vs. winter) affect blood pressure reactivity to the cold pressor test and handgrip test in healthy young adults?
In healthy young adults, resting blood pressure is lower in summer than winter, but blood pressure reactivity to sympathetic stress tests (cold pressor and handgrip tests) is significantly heightened in summer independent of baseline blood pressure.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Heightened summer BP reactivity to stress despite lower baseline may signal seasonal CV modulation; hypothesis-generating for reactivity-based risk prediction.
Background Blood pressure (BP) reactivity is the BP rise to a given stimulus from baseline values, and is a strong predictor of hypertension and subsequent cardiovascular events. Blood pressure exhibits seasonal variations. However, the effect of seasonal variations on BP reactivity to stress is not well understood. This study aimed to explore the effect of seasonal variation on BP reactivity due to the cold pressor test (CPT) and handgrip test (HGT) among healthy young adults in Nepal. Methods A prospective pretest–posttest study was conducted among 45 healthy students (55.6% female) with a mean age of 21.62 ± 2.93 years. Blood pressure at baseline, during and after CPT and HGT interventions were measured as per protocol, during winter (December 2023) and summer (July 2024), and the BP reactivity was compared between two seasons using analytical statistics. The significance level was set at 5%. Results Baseline mean BP were lower in summer than in winter season (SBP: 107.71 ± 12.17 vs 120.78 ± 11.31, p = 0.001; DBP: 71.49 ± 8.74 vs 77.60 ± 8.83, p = 0.001; paired t-test). During CPT, there was a significantly higher rise of BP in summer compared to the rise in winter (SBP: 25.27 ± 11.56 vs 13.84 ± 11.17, p < 0.001; DBP: 25.53 ± 10.14 vs 13.51 ± 7.15, p < 0.001; paired t-test). Similarly, HGT also raised BP higher in summer than winter (SBP: 35.07 ± 17.11 vs 25.47 ± 14.81, p = 0.008; DBP: 30.96 ± 12.12 vs 24.16 ± 11.64, p = 0.009; paired t-test); and this was confirmed in linear regression analysis (p < 0.01). Independent effect of season on BP reactivity was confirmed by multiple linear regression analysis (p < 0.05). Conclusion Baseline BP is lower in summer compared to winter; but the BP reactivity to CPT and HGT is heightened in summer compared to winter, indicating seasonal modulation of cardiovascular stress responses, which may have implications for cardiovascular risk and adaptability to environmental changes.
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Pun et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Blood pressure reactivity to stress in healthy young adults (n=45). Summer season exposure during Cold Pressor Test (CPT) and Handgrip Test (HGT) vs. Winter season exposure was evaluated on Systolic blood pressure reactivity (rise from baseline in mmHg) during Cold Pressor Test (p=<0.001). Summer season was associated with heightened systolic blood pressure reactivity to the cold pressor test compared to winter despite lower baseline BP.
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