Healthy Participants
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of the present study is to determine whether there are sex differences in the reflex responses to hypoxia in humans.
Detailed description
Over 35% of the US population will develop sleep apnea at some point in their life. Sleep apnea is the most common form of sleep disordered breathing and patients with sleep apnea are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure. Intermittent, repeated exposures to low oxygen during sleep (intermittent hypoxia, IH) has been implicated as the primary stimulus for increases in sympathetic nervous system activity and blood pressure with sleep apnea. Interestingly there are some reports of a lower incidence of hypertension in women with sleep apnea when compared to men. Results from the present study will provide information important to the investigator's understanding of potential sex-differences in clinical outcomes for conditions related to acute/chronic hypoxia and may have important implications for treatments which may improve blood pressure control in patients with sleep apnea.
Interventions
OTHERHypoxic exposure
30 minutes of intermittent hypoxia
Sponsors
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
University of Missouri-Columbia
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
All participants will undergo same 30 minute intermittent hypoxia protocol.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* healthy adult men and women; * BMI \<30 kg/m2; * non-pregnant; * non-breastfeeding; * non-smokers; * premenopausal women with a normal menstrual cycle unaffected by hormonal contraceptive use; * taking no medications known to affect autonomic or cardiovascular function (PI discretion).
Exclusion criteria
* taking any medications known to affect the cardiovascular or autonomic nervous system (e.g. alpha-blockers, beta-blockers, etc); * a self-reported history of hepatic, renal, pulmonary, cardiovascular, or neurological diseases; * stroke or neurovascular disease; * bleeding/clotting disorder; * sleep apnea or other sleep disorders; * diabetes; * smoking; * history of alcoholism or substance abuse; * hypertension.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from baseline Hypoxic Ventilatory Response after intermittent hypoxia | Through completion of intermittent hypoxia, an average of 3 hours | Hypoxia breathing will be recorded before and after intermittent hypoxia |
| Change from baseline Blood Pressure after intermittent hypoxia | Through completion of intermittent hypoxia, an average of 3 hours | Systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be recorded before and after intermittent hypoxia |
| Change from baseline Forearm Blood Flow after intermittent hypoxia | Through completion of intermittent hypoxia, an average of 3 hours | Blood flow in the forearm will be recorded before and after intermittent hypoxia |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed