Early vascular remodeling, endothelial dysfunction, and metabolic profile in men under special habitability conditions in the Arctic during the polar day

BACKGROUND: Arctic living conditions are associated with exposure to a complex of adverse environmental factors, among which photoperiodic disruption (the polar day phenomenon), physical inactivity, chronic psychoemotional stress, pronounced solar radiation deficiency, and nutritional imbalance play a leading role. The combination of these factors can initiate early pathological changes in the vascular wall long before the clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. AIM: To assess the state of vascular stiffness, endothelial function, and metabolic profile in men under special habitability conditions on the Franz Josef Land archipelago during the polar day. METHODS: We examined 120 men aged 30.5 ± 6.9 years working on the Franz Josef Land archipelago during the polar day (May–June). We assessed cardio-ankle vascular index, pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, anthropometric and biochemical parameters, hormonal status, and markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. RESULTS: In the examined men, the following subclinical signs of vascular remodeling were revealed: 62% had an increased level of asymmetric dimethylarginine (0.81 ± 0.15 µmol/L); 88% had high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (3.89 ± 2.31 mg/L); 76% had tumor necrosis factor alpha (10.31 ± 3.27 pg/mL); 78% had oxidized low-density lipoproteins (94.33 ± 20.12 U/L). 25-Hydroxyvitamin D was less than 30 ng/mL in 100% of the examined individuals. The cardio-ankle vascular index correlated with asymmetric dimethylarginine and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (r = +0.56 and r = +0.57, respectively; p 0.001); the correlation of the cardio-ankle vascular index with leptin and adiponectin (r = +0.07 and r = −0.19, respectively) did not reach statistical significance. The duration of stay on the island correlated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (r = +0.30; p = 0.003) and interleukin-6 (r = +0.24; p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: In individuals working in Arctic conditions during the polar day, a cluster of early markers of vascular remodeling has been identified: endothelial dysfunction, low-intensity systemic inflammation, dyslipidemia, adipokine imbalance, and chronobiological dysregulation, increasing with the duration of stay on the island. These data justify the advisability of systematic cardiometabolic monitoring in individuals staying under special habitability conditions.