Cardiovascular system parameters in participants of Arctic expeditions

• Published in: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Main Authors: Nataliya B. Pankova, Irina B. Alchinova, Anton B. Cherepov, Elena N. Yakovenko, Mikhail Y. Karganov
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine 2020
• Subjects: adaptation; heart rate variability; cardiovascular system; climate; blood pressure variability; baroreflex sensitivity; Medicine; R; Arctic; Murmansk
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01628; https://doaj.org/article/7f91ff79db9c4b8cbb3ce78a1063ab85

Objectives A method of continuous heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) recording was used for the evaluation of the cardiovascular system parameters in participants of short-term (<1 month) high-latitude expeditions, in comparison with the parameters of residents of Central Russia and the Arctic region. Material and Methods A dynamic examination of participants of Arctic expeditions (30 men, residents of middle-latitude regions, aged 46.7±1.7 years), workers permanently living in Central Russia (the Moscow region, 44 men, aged 46.7±1.0 years) and residents of the North (the Murmansk region, 35 men, aged 46.6±1.3 years) was performed. The authors used a spiroartheriocardiorythmograph allowing the parallel recording of HR, BP, spectral characteristics of HR variability (HRV) and the variability of systolic BP (sBP) and diastolic BP (dBP), cardiac performance parameters, and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). The parameters were recorded at rest, in a sitting position, over 2 min. Results The basic clinical parameters (HR, BP and cardiac performance) did not differ in the workers living in different climatic zones. However, the residents of the North demonstrated a lower total power (TP) of the dBP variability spectrum and a lower relative power of the high-frequency (HF) range in both the sBP and dBP variability spectra. The participants of expeditions to the North had a lower TP of the HRV spectrum (in comparison with both control groups) that did not change during the expeditions; BRS was reduced, while the TP of the sBP spectrum was increased in comparison with the corresponding parameters obtained from the residents of circumpolar regions, and decreased during the expedition in parallel with a decrease in the sBP values. The TP of both the sBP and dBP variability spectra, as well as the power of the HF range in these spectra, were similar in the participants of expeditions to those obtained from the residents of Central Russia, and they considerably surpassed the corresponding parameters in the ...