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Sex and age effects on cardiovascular autonomic function in healthy adults

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An Erratum to this article was published on 13 January 2016

Abstract

Purpose

To determine the effects of sex and age on cardiovascular autonomic parameters in healthy adults as assessed by Finapres (finger arterial pressure) method and prolonged head-up tilt (HUT).

Methods

We enrolled 81 healthy volunteers (41 females, 40 males, 18–74 years) for extensive cardiovascular autonomic function testing including blood pressure (BP) recordings, electrocardiography, and impedance cardiography at rest, under 60° HUT for 45 min, active standing for 5 min, Valsalva maneuver, and deep breathing (DB). Mean values and orthostatic changes, i.e., differences to baseline, of heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic BP, stroke volume (SV), and total peripheral resistance (TPR), as well as DB ratio and Valsalva ratio were calculated. A generalized linear model (extended by generalized estimating equations) was used to assess sex- and age-related differences.

Results

Mean HR at rest was higher in women than in men (p = 0.035). In men, we observed significantly higher mean BP at rest (p < 0.001 systolic and p = 0.004 diastolic) and during HUT (p = 0.001 systolic and p < 0.001 diastolic), mean TPR at rest (p = 0.034), and mean SV during HUT (p < 0.001). We found no significant impact of sex on orthostatic changes of HR and BP. Mean TPR during HUT increased with age (p = 0.001), particularly in older women. Orthostatic changes of HR and diastolic BP, DB ratio, and Valsalva ratio became attenuated with age (p = 0.018, p = 0.006, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions

Our study suggests that aging rather than sex needs to be taken into account when interpreting HR and BP changes during prolonged HUT performance.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all subjects who took part in the present study, for their patience and stamina. This study was supported by grants of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): F04404-B19 and KLI380. The funder had neither a role in study design, data collection, and analysis, nor in the decision to publish or in the preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Jean-Pierre Ndayisaba, Alessandra Fanciulli, Roberta Granata, Susanne Duerr, Florian Krismer & Gregor K. Wenning

  2. Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Alessandra Fanciulli

  3. Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Florian Hintringer

  4. Department of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Health Economics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Georg Goebel

  5. Division of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Jean-Pierre Ndayisaba & Gregor K. Wenning

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  1. Jean-Pierre Ndayisaba
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  2. Alessandra Fanciulli
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  3. Roberta Granata
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Correspondence to Jean-Pierre Ndayisaba.

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Ndayisaba, JP., Fanciulli, A., Granata, R. et al. Sex and age effects on cardiovascular autonomic function in healthy adults. Clin Auton Res 25, 317–326 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-015-0310-1

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