Effects of a three-day head-down tilt on renal and hormonal responses to acute volume expansion

To clarify whether exposure to 6 degrees head-down tilt (HDT) leads to alterations in body fluid volumes and responses to a saline load similar to those observed during space flight we investigated eight healthy subjects during a 4-day, 6 degrees HDT and during a time-control ambulatory period with cross-over. Compared with the ambulatory period, HDT was associated with greater urinary excretion of water and sodium (UV, U(Na)V) from 0 to 12 h (cumulated UV 1,781 +/- 154 vs. 1,383 +/- 170 ml, P < 0.05; cumulated U(Na)V 156 +/- 14 vs. 117 +/- 9 mmol, P < 0.05), and with higher plasma atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) at 4 h. Hemoglobin and hematocrit increased over the first 24 h, and blood and plasma volumes were decreased after 48 h of HDT (P < 0.05). Plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone did not differ between the two groups. With prolongation of HDT, UV and U(Na)V returned close to baseline values. On the fourth HDT day, a 30-min infusion of 20 ml/kg isotonic saline was performed, while a large oral water load maintained a high urine output. The ambulatory period experiment was done with the subjects in the acute supine posture. Sodium excreted within 4 h of loading was 123 +/- 8 mmol during HDT vs. 168 +/- 16 mmol during the ambulatory period (P < 0.05). The increase in plasma ANF and decrease in PRA were greater during HDT than during the ambulatory period (ANF 30 +/- 5 vs. 13 +/- 4 pg/ml, P < 0.05; PRA -1.4 +/- 0.4 vs. -0.5 +/- 0.2 ng. ml(-1). h(-1), P < 0.05). Our data suggest that after a 3-day HDT period, thoracic volume receptor loading returns to the level seen in the upright position, leading to blunted responses to volume expansion, compared with acute supine control.