ORIGINAL PAPER
Cardiovascular system parameters in participants of Arctic expeditions
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Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Moscow, Russia
(Laboratory of Physical, Chemical and Ecological Pathophysiology)
Online publication date: 2020-09-17
Corresponding author
Nataliya B. Pankova
Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Laboratory of Physical, Chemical and Ecological Pathophysiology,
Baltiyskaya 8, 125315 Moscow, Russia
Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(6):819-28
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ABSTRACT
Objectives: A method of continuous heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) recording was used for the evaluation of the cardiovascular system
parameters in participants of short-term (<1 month) high-latitude expeditions, in comparison with the parameters of residents of Central Russia and
the Arctic region. Material and Methods: A dynamic examination of participants of Arctic expeditions (30 men, residents of middle-latitude regions,
aged 46.7±1.7 years), workers permanently living in Central Russia (the Moscow region, 44 men, aged 46.7±1.0 years) and residents of the North (the
Murmansk region, 35 men, aged 46.6±1.3 years) was performed. The authors used a spiroartheriocardiorythmograph allowing the parallel recording
of HR, BP, spectral characteristics of HR variability (HRV) and the variability of systolic BP (sBP) and diastolic BP (dBP), cardiac performance
parameters, and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). The parameters were recorded at rest, in a sitting position, over 2 min. Results: The basic
clinical parameters (HR, BP and cardiac performance) did not differ in the workers living in different climatic zones. However, the residents of
the North demonstrated a lower total power (TP) of the dBP variability spectrum and a lower relative power of the high-frequency (HF) range in
both the sBP and dBP variability spectra. The participants of expeditions to the North had a lower TP of the HRV spectrum (in comparison with both
control groups) that did not change during the expeditions; BRS was reduced, while the TP of the sBP spectrum was increased in comparison with
the corresponding parameters obtained from the residents of circumpolar regions, and decreased during the expedition in parallel with a decrease
in the sBP values. The TP of both the sBP and dBP variability spectra, as well as the power of the HF range in these spectra, were similar in the participants
of expeditions to those obtained from the residents of Central Russia, and they considerably surpassed the corresponding parameters in
the northerners surveyed. Conclusions: The revealed peculiarities of the cardiovascular system in the participants of high-latitude expeditions can be
considered as correlates of positive, and adequate in terms of the physiological value, adaptive shifts in the autonomous regulation of the cardiovascular
system. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(6):819–28