title: Effect of a brief heat exposure on blood pressure and physical performance of older women living in the community-a pilot-study.
abstract: Global climate change is affecting health and mortality, particularly in vulnerable populations. High ambient temperatures decrease blood pressure (BP) in young and middle aged adults and may lead to orthostatic hypotension, increasing the risk of falls in older adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a test protocol to investigate BP response and aerobic capacity of older adults in a hot indoor environment. BP response and aerobic capacity were assessed in 26 community-dwelling older women (median age 75.5 years) at a room temperature of either 20 °C or 30 °C. The protocol was well tolerated by all participants. In the 30 °C condition systolic and diastolic BP (median difference 10 and 8 mmHg, respectively) and distance walked in 6 min (median difference 29.3 m) were lower than in the 20 °C condition (all p < 0.01). Systolic BP decreased after standing up from a lying position in the 30 °C (17.4 mmHg) and 20 °C (14.2 mmHg) condition (both p < 0.001). In conclusion, the protocol is feasible in this cohort and should be repeated in older adults with poor physical performance and impaired cardio-vascular response mechanisms. Furthermore, aerobic capacity was reduced after exposure to hot environmental temperatures, which should be considered when recommending exercise to older people during the summer months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Gerontology and Rehabilitation, Robert-Bosch-Hospital, 70376 Stuttgart, Germany. anja.stotz@gmx.de.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stotz
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Gerontology and Rehabilitation, Robert-Bosch-Hospital, 70376 Stuttgart, Germany. kilian.rapp@rbk.de.
authors.forename: Kilian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rapp
authors.affiliation: Physical Work Capacity Team, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 90220 Oulu, Finland. juha.oksa@ttl.fi.
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oksa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Health Research, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, G4 0BA, UK. dawn.skelton@gcu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Dawn A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Skelton
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Research Unit, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, University of Copenhagen, 2400 NV Copenhagen, Denmark. ninabeyer.privat@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Beyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Gerontology and Rehabilitation, Robert-Bosch-Hospital, 70376 Stuttgart, Germany. jochen.klenk@rbk.de.
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klenk
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Gerontology and Rehabilitation, Robert-Bosch-Hospital, 70376 Stuttgart, Germany. clemens.becker@rbk.de.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Gerontology and Rehabilitation, Robert-Bosch-Hospital, 70376 Stuttgart, Germany. ulrich.lindemann@rbk.de.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lindemann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D016138:Walking