You are here

Home » Content

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONAL STATUS IN RESPONSE TO STRESS

Journal Name:

  • International Journal of Medical Research & Health Sciences

Publication Year:

  • 2013

Key Words:

Author Name
Abstract (2. Language): 
Introduction: Men and women are similar in their cognitive appraisal of a stress. But their behavior is different when exposed to stress. As stress responses and cognitive abilities are closely associated with autonomic nervous system, an attempt had been made to evaluate the behavioral pattern of autonomic functional status in males and females under stressed conditions. Methodology: 30 normal young male and female students (15 each) participated in this study. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR) and heart rate variation (HRV) were recorded before and after postural change, Valsalva maneuver and cold exposure. Results: SBP and DBP decreased and HR increased after standing from lying posture (p < 0.000) in both the genders. But the changes were less in males than in females (SBP and HR – non significant, DBP p < 0.008,) 30:15 ratio was higher in males (p < 0.001) upon standing. After Valsalva maneuver, SBP decreased (p < 0.05) and DBP increased (p < 0.000) with a higher Valsalva ratio (p < 0.002) in females than in males. After exposure to cold, males showed more decrease in SBP and DBP and less increase in HR (non-significant) than females. Discussion: Results reveal more sympathetic activity in males than in females when exposed to stress. This may be because of the altered baroreceptor mechanism, male-female type of fat distribution, difference in vascular bed resistance, influence of cortisol and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Conclusion: The fact that females have less tolerance to stress may help us in understanding the sex linked pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases and developing a different approach in treating the similar cardiovascular disease in men and women.
Bookmark/Search this post with
FULL TEXT (PDF): 
PDF icon 4_sahera_etal.pdf
  • 4
737-741
  • English

REFERENCES

References: 

1. Martin B. Anxiety and neurotic disorders.
John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York. 1971;
21-34
2. Leonard Sax. Six Degrees of Separation.
What Teachers Need to Know about the
Emerging Science of Sex Differences?
Educational Horizons Spring. 2006; 190-200
3. Aimee Midei. Gender Differences in
Behavioral Responses to Stress. Fight or
Flight vs Tend and Befriend. Molecular
Psychiatry 2003;310-206-9
4. Ptacek JT, Dodge KL. Gender differences in
coping with stress: when stressor and
appraisals do not differ. Pers Soc Psychol B.
1994; 20: 421–30.
5. Ewing DJ and Clarke BF; Diagnosis and
management of diabetic autonomic
neuropathy.Br Med Journal. 1982; 285: 916-
18
6. Prema Sembulingam, Sembulingam,
Namasivayam.. Evaluation of autonomic
status in generalized anxiety disorder
patients. Biomedicine 2000; 20(2):109-121
7. Hines EA and Brown GE. The cold pressor
test for measuring the reactibility of the blood
pressure; Deta concerning 571 normal and
hypertensive subjects. The American Heart
Journal. 1936; 11 (1): 1-9
8. Frey MAB, and GW Hoffler. Association of
sex and age with responses to lower-body
negative pressure. J. Appl. Physiol. 1988; 65:
1752–56
9. Frey MAB, Mathes KL, Hoffler GW.
Cardiovascular responses of women to lower
body negative pressure. Aviat. Space
Environ. Med. 1986;7: 531–38
10. Guyton and Hall. Text Book of Medical
Physiology 12th Ed. Saunders ELSEVIER.
Page 201
11. Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology, a
LANGE medical book, 23rd Ed. Tata
McGraw Hill Education Private Limited,
Page 558
12. Sembulingam K, Prema Sembulingam.
Essentials of Medical Physiology, 6th Ed,
JAYPEE Brothers Medical Publishers (P)
LTD. 2013; Chapter 103, Page 607-609
13. Ewing DJ, Hume I, Campbell I W, Murray
A, Neilson JMM and Clarke BF. Autonomic
mechanism in the initial heart response to
standing. J Appl Physiol. 1980. 49: 809-814
14. Montgomery LD, PJ Kirk, PA Payne, RL
Gerber, SD Newton, and BA Williams.
Cardiovascular responses of men and women
to lower body negative pressure. Aviat. Space
Environ. Med. 1977;48: 138–45
15. White DD, Gotshall RW, and A Tucker.
Women have lower tolerance to lower body
744
Sahera etal., Int J Med Res Health Sci. 2013;2(4):737-744
negative pressure than men. J. Appl. Physiol.
1996;80: 1138–43
16. Frey MAB, Hoffler GW. Association of sex
and age with responses to lower-body
negative pressure. J. Appl. Physiol.
1988;65:1752–56
17. Convertio VA. Gender differences in
autonomic functions associated with blood
pressure regulation. American Journal of
Physiology: 1909;20:8
18. Hogan TR, Cubitt M, Ecken MK, and Davis
JE. Effect of gender on orthostatic tolerance
(Abstract). Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 1995;27:
S188
19. Jones PP, Snitker S, Skinner JS, Ravussin E.
Gender differences in muscle sympathetic
nerve activity: effect of body fat distribution.
American Journal of Physiology.1996; 270 :
363-66.
20. Bartelink ML, de Wit A,Wollersheim
H,Theeuwes A and Thien T. Skin vascular
reactivity in healthy subjects: influence of
hormonal status. Journal of Applied
Physiology. 1993;74(2): 727-32
21. Bartelink ML, Wollersheim H, Leesmans E,
de Boo T, Thien TA standardized finger
cooling test for Reynaud’s phenomenon:
diagnostic value and sex differences.
European Heart Journal. 1993;14:614-62.
22. Rick Nauert. Response to stress is gender
specific. http://psychcentral.com/news/ 2007/
11/20/respose-tstressis gender specific/ 1559.
Source: University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine
23. Vasan RS, Larson MG, Levy D, Evans JC,
Benjamin EJ. Distribution and categorization
of echocardiographic measurements in
relation to reference limits: The Framingham
Heart Study. Formulation of a height- and
sex-specific classification and its prospective
validation. Circulation 1997;96: 1863–73

Thank you for copying data from http://www.arastirmax.com