title: Respiratory and cardiovascular responses to static handgrip exercise in humans.
abstract: We studied the time course of respiratory and cardiovascular responses by evaluating changes in the breathing pattern, mean blood pressure (MBP), and heart rate elicited by 3 min of static handgrip at 15, 25, and 30% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) in 15 healthy volunteers. Muscle tension and integrated electromyographic activity remained fairly constant during each trial. During 15% MVC bouts, initially only mean inspiratory flow increased; then, tidal volume and minute ventilation (VI) also rose progressively. No significant changes in MBP and heart rate were observed. During 25 and 30% MVC bouts, not only did mean inspiratory flow, VT, and VI increase but MBP and heart rate increased as well. A slight and delayed rise in respiratory rate was also observed. Unlike 15 and 25% MVC handgrip, 30% MVC handgrip caused a small decrease in end-tidal PCO2. Changes in the pattern of breathing occurred more promptly than those in cardiovascular variables in the majority of subjects. Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between changes in VI and those in cardiovascular variables at the end of 25 and 30% MVC trials. This study indicates that respiratory and cardiovascular responses to static handgrip exercise are controlled independently.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Clinica, Universitá di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pantaleo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bongianni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cresci
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manconi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Panuccio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D004576:Electromyography; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012119:Respiration / Q000502:physiology*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide