Control of heat-induced cutaneous vasodilatation in relation to age

Well matched unacclimatised older (age 55-68, 4 women, 2 men) and younger (age 19-30, 4 women, 2 men) subjects performed 75 min cycle exercise (approximately 40% VO2max) in a hot environment (37 degrees C, 60% rh). Rectal temperature (Tre), mean skin temperature (Tsk), arm blood flow (ABF, strain gauge plethysmography), and cardiac output (Q, CO2 rebreathing) were measured to examine age-related differences in heat-induced vasodilatation. Tre and Tsk rose to the same extent in each group during the exposure. There was no significant intergroup difference in sweat rate (older: 332 +/- 43 ml.m-2.h-1, younger: 435 +/- 49 ml.m-2.h-1; mean +/- SEM). However, the older subjects responded to exercise in the heat with a lower ABF response which could be attributed to a lower Q for the same exercise intensity. The slope of the ABF-Tre relationship was attenuated in the older subjects (9.3 +/- 1.3 vs 17.9 +/- 3.3 ml.100 ml-1.min-1.degrees C-1, p less than 0.05), but the Tre threshold for vasodilatation was about 37.0 degrees C for both groups. These results suggest an altered control of skin vasodilatation during exercise in the heat in older individuals. This attenuated ABF response appears to be unrelated to VO2max, and may reflect an age-related change in thermoregulatory cardiovascular function.