title: Hormonal response to exercise in high altitude natives and COPD patients.
abstract: Plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone increase with exercise. Acute hypoxia interferes with this hormonal response to exercise, but the effects of chronic or intermittent hypoxia on exercise-induced hormonal changes are not well understood. The hormonal response to exercise was studied in two groups of subjects who were expected to become hypoxic during exercise (high altitude natives at high altitude and patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD), and normal controls. Both the high altitude natives and COPD patients became hypoxic with maximal exercise. The rate of rise of PRA and epinephrine was significantly less in the two study groups than the normal subjects. Changes in aldosterone levels with exercise were similar to PRA but the differences among groups were not significant. Differences between the groups were not seen for changes in atrial natriuretic polypeptide and norepinephrine during exercise. These results support the concept that hypoxia interferes with the renin-aldosterone and adrenal medullary response to exercise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, VA Hospital, White River Junction, VT 05009.
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Colice
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lawrason
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Munsef
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bittle
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramirez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000097:blood*; D000531:Altitude; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012083:Renin / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D010108:Oxyhemoglobins; D000450:Aldosterone; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D012083:Renin; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine