Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Reactivity

Sex differences in cardiovascular reactivity to stress are well documented, with some studies showing women having greater heart rate responses than men, and men having greater blood pressure responses than women, while other studies show conflicting evidence. Few studies have attended to the gender relevance of tasks employed in these studies. This study investigated cardiovascular reactivity to two interpersonal stressors consistent with different gender roles to determine whether response differences exist between men and women. A total of 26 men and 31 women were assigned to either a traditional male-oriented task that involved interpersonal conflict (Conflict Task) or a traditional female-oriented task that involved comforting another person (Comfort Task). Results demonstrated that women exhibited greater heart rate reactions than men independent of the task type, and that men did not display a higher reactivity than women on any measure. These findings indicate that sex of participant was more important than gender relevance of the task in eliciting sex differences in cardiovascular responding.

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Sex differences in blood pressure responsiveness to spontaneous K-complexes during stage II sleep

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/japplphysiol.00825.2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ian Mark Greenlund ◽

Carl A. Smoot ◽

Jason R. Carter

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Arterial Pressure ◽

Cardiac Cycle ◽

Pressor Response ◽

Systolic Arterial Pressure ◽

Stage Ii ◽

Men And Women ◽

Blood Pressures ◽

Blood Pressure Responses

K-complexes are a key marker of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM), specifically during stages II sleep. Recent evidence suggests the heart rate responses to a K-complexes may differ between men and women. The purpose of this study was to compare beat-to-beat blood pressure responses to K-complexes in men and women. We hypothesized that the pressor response following a spontaneous K-complex would be augmented in men compared to women. Ten men (Age: 23 ± 2 years, BMI: 28 ± 4 kg/m2) and ten women (Age: 23 ± 5 years, BMI: 25 ± 4 kg/m2) were equipped with overnight finger plethysmography and standard 10-lead polysomnography. Hemodynamic responses to a spontaneous K-complex during stable stage II sleep were quantified for 10 consecutive cardiac cycles, and measurements included systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), and heart rate. K-complex elicited greater pressor responses in men when blood pressures were expressed as SAP (cardiac cycle × sex: p = 0.007) and DAP (cardiac cycle × sex: p = 0.004). Heart rate trended to be different between men and women (cardiac cycle × sex: p = 0.078). These findings suggest a divergent pressor response between men and women following a spontaneous K-complex during normal stage II sleep. These findings could contribute to sex-specific differences in cardiovascular risk that exist between men and women.

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Heart-Rate and Blood-Pressure Responses to Speech Alone Compared with Cognitive Challenges in the Stroop Task

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1993.77.2.555 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 77 (2) ◽

pp. 555-563 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Phyllis K. Stein ◽

Stephen H. Boutcher

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Systolic Blood Pressure ◽

Cardiovascular Responses ◽

Conflict Task ◽

Push Button ◽

Stressful Task ◽

The Difference ◽

Blood Pressure Responses ◽

Pressure Changes

Heart-rate and blood-pressure responses are assumed to reflect the “stressfulness” of cognitive tasks. Cardiovascular responses to speech are often assumed to be negligible. To test these assumptions, 34 middle-aged men (mean age 45.0 ± 6.1) performed three versions of the Stroop color-conflict task, passive responding, push-button, and verbal. Although difficulty of passive responding was rated 11.8 (fairly light), push-button 16.1 (between hard and very hard), and verbal Stroop 14.5 (hard), all were significantly differenr. Analysis of variance showed during tasks heart-rate responses and systolic blood pressure did not differ. Recovery average heart-rare and over-all heart-rate patterns were not different for the difficult tasks but were significantly different from the easy task. Diastolic blood-pressure changes during tasks were more similar for verbal tasks despite the difference in difficulty. Stressor heart-rate and systolic blood-pressure responses did not reflect the difficulty of this stressful task. Verbalization of responses contributed significantly to cardiovascular reactivity.

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β-Adrenoceptor responsiveness and plasma catecholamines as determinants of cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress

Clinical Science ◽

10.1042/cs0690483 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 69 (4) ◽

pp. 483-492 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

G. Eisenhofer ◽

D. G. Lambie ◽

R. H. Johnson

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Systolic Blood Pressure ◽

Cardiovascular Reactivity ◽

Mental Stress ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Plasma Catecholamines ◽

Plasma Adrenaline ◽

Blood Pressure Responses ◽

Electronic Game

1. Twenty-five normotensive men were subjected to two periods of mental stress involving a cognitive task and a competitive electronic game. Plasma catecholamines, heart rate and blood pressure were measured before and during mental stress. Responsiveness to β-adrenoceptor stimulation was also determined in each subject by measurement of heart rate responses to bolus injections of isoprenaline. 2. Both periods of mental stress were associated with significant increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures, heart rate and plasma adrenaline, but not plasma noradrenaline. Heart rate responses to mental stress varied widely, with increases ranging from 1 to 48 (mean ± sd 13.5 ± 10.6) beats/min for the cognitive task and from 2 to 49 (20.4 ± 14.0) beats/min for the electronic game. Systolic blood pressure responses also varied widely and showed significant positive correlations with heart rate responses. 3. Significant relationships were found between heart rate responses to both forms of mental stress and cardiac sensitivity to isoprenaline, subjects with low responsiveness to β-adrenoceptor stimulation tending to have smaller heart rate responses to mental stress than subjects with high responsiveness to β-adrenoceptor stimulation. Relationships were also found between plasma adrenaline responses and heart rate responses to mental stress, although these did not reach significance. Considerably improved relationships were found when heart rate responses were correlated with a single variable generated from the product of the adrenaline response and the inverse of the dose of isoprenaline required to raise heart rate by 25 beats/min. 4. It is concluded that wide variation is shown between different individuals in responsiveness to β-adrenoceptor stimulation and that this is an important factor in the variability between individuals in heart rate and systolic blood pressure responses to mental stress. Both catecholamines and adrenoceptor-mediated responses to catecholamines should be examined when determining the physiological basis for differences in cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress between individuals or groups.

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Ethnic and sex differences in the longitudinal association between heart rate variability and blood pressure

Blood Pressure ◽

10.1080/08037051.2021.1876517 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

LaBarron K. Hill ◽

Julian F. Thayer ◽

DeWayne P. Williams ◽

James D. Halbert ◽

Guang Hao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Longitudinal Association

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Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Responses to Carotid Sinus Massage in Healthy Elderly Subjects

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/23.1.57 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 57-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

SHONA J. McINTOSH ◽

JOANNA LAWSON ◽

ROSE ANNE KENNY

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Carotid Sinus ◽

Elderly Subjects ◽

Carotid Sinus Massage ◽

Healthy Elderly ◽

Blood Pressure Responses ◽

Healthy Elderly Subjects

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Heart rate variability and blood pressure among Japanese men and women: a community-based cross-sectional study

Hypertension Research ◽

10.1038/hr.2014.73 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 37 (8) ◽

pp. 779-784 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Hiromi Mori ◽

Isao Saito ◽

Eri Eguchi ◽

Koutatsu Maruyama ◽

Tadahiro Kato ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Community Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Japanese Men ◽

Men And Women

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Cardiovascular and norepinephrine responses of men and women to two cold pressor tests

Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology ◽

10.1139/y92-006 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 36-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

J. K. McLean ◽

P. Sathasivam ◽

K. MacNaughton ◽

T. E. Graham

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Gender Differences ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Latin Square ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Plasma Norepinephrine ◽

Plasma Catecholamine ◽

The Face ◽

Blood Pressure Responses ◽

Venous Plasma

Two types of cold pressor tests were used to study gender differences in cardiovascular and plasma catecholamine responses. Ten male and ten female, young, healthy Caucasian subjects participated. The tests consisted of (1) 5 °C air blown at 3.5–4 m/s onto part of the face for 4 min and (2) the open right hand immersed to the wrist in water at 5 °C for 4 min. Heart rate, blood pressure (BP), and venous plasma norepinephrine were collected before, during, and 5 min after the 4 min of cold exposures. Test order was decided by a Latin square design, and the subjects rested in a quiet room for 30 min between the two tests. All parameters demonstrated significant (p < 0.01) increases from rest during the cold tests. Gender differences were significant (p < 0.01) in diastolic and systolic BP in each test with the males having a greater response, but gender differences were not found in heart rate or norepinephrine concentration. The study demonstrated that gender differences exist in the blood pressure responses to local cold, but that the mechanisms involved do not include a parallel difference in heart rate or venous plasma norepinephrine concentration.Key words: blood pressure, gender differences, stroke volume.

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INVESTIGATION OF FEMALE TOLERANCE OF THE HEAD-TO-FOOT G-LOADS ON A SHORT-ARM CENTRIFUGE BEFORE AND AFTER 8-DAY ISOLATION

Aerospace and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.21687/0233-528x-2021-55-2-56-62 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 55 (2) ◽

pp. 56-62

Author(s):

M.I. Koloteva ◽

◽

T.M. Glebova ◽

A.V. Salnikov ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Objective Data ◽

Men And Women ◽

Russian Study ◽

Before And After ◽

Male Subjects ◽

G Tolerance ◽

Female Subjects

The main purpose of the pioneered Russian study was to compare tolerance of head-to-foot g-loads (+Gz) by female and male subjects rotated on a short-arm centrifuge before and after 8-d isolation using the subjective and objective data. Results of the investigation demonstrated compatibility of g-tolerance by men and women. However, during the runs before isolation heart rate in female subjects grew significantly in comparison to the male subjects. Though higher in women, dynamics of blood pressure measured at the earlobe and arm was not statistically different from the male data.

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Sex differences in central adrenoreceptor-mediated vasopressin response to hemorrhage

AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1152/ajpendo.1991.260.5.e780 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 260 (5) ◽

pp. E780-E786 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. D. Stone ◽

J. T. Crofton ◽

L. Share

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Body Weight ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Mean Arterial Blood Pressure ◽

Intracerebroventricular Injection ◽

Arterial Blood ◽

Plasma Vasopressin ◽

Vasopressin Secretion ◽

Blood Pressure Responses ◽

Induced Changes

Hemorrhage-induced changes in the plasma vasopressin concentration and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) were studied in conscious rats of both sexes with and without central alpha 1-adrenoreceptor blockade. Rats were subjected to two sequential hemorrhages (H1 and H2), each 0.8% of body weight after an intracerebroventricular injection of the alpha 1-adrenoreceptor antagonist corynanthine or of vehicle. H1 stimulated vasopressin secretion more in proestrous females than in males; there were no significant sex-related differences in responses to H2. Corynanthine pretreatment attenuated the vasopressin response to H2 in males, potentiated this response in proestrous females, but had no effect in estrous females. MABP decreased after H1 in all female groups and in corynanthine-pretreated males. After H2, all groups were hypotensive to the same extent. These data indicate that central alpha 1-adrenoreceptor-mediated pathways participate in vasopressin and blood pressure responses to hemorrhage, but their role is complex and is dependent on gender and on the phase of the estrous cycle.

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