The Effects of Dehydration on Peripheral Cooling

• Main Authors: Roberts, Donald E., Berberich, J. J., Droege, R. E.
• Other Authors: ARMY RESEARCH INST OF ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE NATICK MA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1983
• Subjects: Stress Physiology; *COOLING; *DEHYDRATION; LOW TEMPERATURE; RATES; HEATING; PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS; MALES; LOSSES; BODY FLUIDS; ARCTIC REGIONS; BODY TEMPERATURE; Arctic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA130838; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA130838

Ten men were dehydrated by voluntary restriction of fluid intake and by mile exercise over a 2-1/2 day period (body weight loss: 4.6%). Body weight returned to -16% and -0.3% of their starting weight 10 to 20 hours after rehydration, respectively, suggesting the weight loss was fluid loss. Measures of blood and urine constituents also were indicative of dehydration. These 10 experimental subjects experienced a standard cold test prior to and after dehydration and after rehydration. The standard cold test consisted of sitting in a cold chamber (0 c) dressed in cold weather clothing with right hand bare for 2 hours. The fingers, but not the back of the hand, of the experimentals were significantly colder (P.05) following dehydration and were slightly warmer following initial rehydration. A group of 10 control subjects tested under identical conditions, but hydrated at all times, showed no changes. (Author)