Does gender influence human cardiovascular and renal responses to water immersion?

Abstract

We hypothesized that women and men exhibit similar cardiovascular and renal responses to thermoneutral water immersion (WI) to the neck. Ten women and nine men underwent two sessions in random order: 1) seated nonimmersed for 5.5 h (control) and 2) WI for 3 h, with subjects seated nonimmersed for 1.5 h pre- and 1 h postimmersion. We measured left atrial diameter, heart rate, arterial pressure, urine volume and osmolality, and urinary endothelin, urodilatin, sodium, and potassium excretion. No significant difference existed between groups in cardiovascular responses. The groups also exhibited mostly similar renal responses to immersion after adjustment for body mass. However, female urodilatin excretion per kilogram during immersion was over twofold that of men, and the female kaliuretic response to immersion was delayed and less pronounced relative to that in men. Men may excrete more potassium than women during immersion because men possess greater lean body mass (potassium per kilogram). Results obtained in men during WI may be cautiously extrapolated to women, yet urodilatin and potassium responses exhibit gender differences.