Circulation, Vol 82, 1607-1615, Copyright © 1990 by American Heart Association
JP Cooke, MA Creager, PJ Osmundson and JT Shepherd
Women are far more likely than men to suffer from Raynaud's disease. The
purpose of this study was to determine whether there are gender differences
in local or central control of cutaneous blood flow that could account for
the increased incidence of Raynaud's disease in women. To assess cutaneous
blood flow, hand blood flow (HBF), finger blood flow (FBF), or skin
perfusion (SP) was measured by fluid plethysmography, mercury strain-gauge
plethysmography, or laser Doppler spectroscopy, respectively, in 47
volunteers. Basal HBF in men exceeded that of women (12.1 +/- 2.0 versus
6.2 +/- 1.5 ml/100 ml/min). Likewise, FBF in men surpassed that of women
(19.5 +/- 4.1 versus 7.7 +/- 1.8 ml/100 ml/min). Similarly, SP in men was
greater than that of women (270 +/- 42 versus 81 +/- 16 perfusion units).
However, after total body warming (to induce a thermal sympatholysis), HBF
in women exceeded that of men, suggesting that the lower basal HBF in women
was due to increased sympathetic outflow to the extremities. Mental stress
and deep inspiration reduced HBF and SP in men. Paradoxically, both of
these maneuvers increased HBF and SP in women. To determine whether these
paradoxical responses in women were due to the women's elevated basal
sympathetic tone, these experiments were repeated after total body cooling
in men to increase sympathetic tone and after total body warming in women
to reduce sympathetic tone. Total body cooling reduced HBF and SP in men.
Under these conditions, mental stress and deep inspiration induced
vasodilation. In women, total body warming for 10 minutes increased
HBF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
ARTICLES
Sex differences in control of cutaneous blood flow
Division of Vascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston.
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