Cardiovascular and Ocular Parameter Alterations in Response to Cold Pressor Test in Young Adults

Abstract

The sympathetic nervous responses to cold stress are known; however, concurrent cardiovascular and ocular parameter alterations in the responses are poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the cold pressor test (CPT) on cardiovascular and ocular parameters in young adult subjects. There was a total of 86 participants. The CPT was conducted by submerging each participant’s left hand in cold water (3–5 °C) for 3 min. During the CPT, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate were found to be significantly increased compared to the baseline and significantly decreased compared to recovery, including the mean of the standard deviations of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN). In the recovery phase, the SDNN continued to decrease statistically significantly compared to the baseline and the CPT. Furthermore, the findings of this study show that the CPT impacted intra-ocular pressure (IOP), ACD, and pupil size parameters. There was a positive correlation between the MAP and IOP in both eyes during the CPT. The cold stress stimulates a sympathetic response, leading to an increase in the MAP. The pupil size increased in response to the CPT in both eyes, indicating that ocular function was increased in response to the CPT in young adults compared to baseline. In conclusion, our results suggest that in young adults, cardiovascular and ocular parameters respond to the sympathetic nervous system during the CPT.