Local Sweating and Cutaneous Blood Flow During Exercise in Hypobaric Environments
Abstract
The effect of acute hypobaric hypoxia on local sweating and cutaneous blood flow was studied in four men and four women (follicular phase of menstrual cycle), who exercised at 60% of their altitude-specific peak aerobic power for 35min at barometric pressures (Pb) of 770 Torr (sea level), 552 Torr (2,596 m), and 428 Torr (4,575 m) at an ambient temperature of 30 deg C. We measured esophageal temperature (Tes), mean skin temperature (T sk, 8 sites), and local sweating (ms) from dew-point sensors attached to the skin at the chest, arm, and thigh. Skin blood flow (SkBF) of the forearm was measured once each minute by venous occlusion plethysmography. There were no gender differences in the sensitivity (slope) or the threshold of either ms/Tes relationships for the three regional sites decreased with increasing altitude, although these differences were not significant between the two lower PBs. The slope of SkBF/T was reduced in five of the eight subjects at 428 Torr. Enhanced body cooling as a response to the higher evaporative capacity of the environment is suggested as a component of these peripheral changes occurring in hypobaric hypoxia.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA185708
Entities
People
- Lou A. Stephenson
- Margaret A. Kolka
- Paul B. Rock
- Richard R. Gonzalez
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine