Acute Reduction of Pulse Wave Velocity after Sauna in Adults in a Community.
- Author:
Moo Young KIM
1
;
Shin Jung OH
;
Ah Reum HAN
;
Hye Ree LEE
;
Jae Yong SHIM
;
Duk Chul LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Family Medicine, Yong-dong Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. faith@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
sauna bath;
pulse wave velocity;
vascular function;
cardiovascular diseases
- MeSH:
Adult*;
Baths;
Blood Pressure;
Body Temperature;
Body Weight;
Cardiovascular Diseases;
Health Behavior;
Heart Failure;
Heart Rate;
Hemodynamics;
Humans;
Hypercholesterolemia;
Male;
Pulse Wave Analysis*;
Steam Bath*;
Strikes, Employee;
Sweat;
Sweating;
Volunteers
- From:Journal of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine
2006;27(5):384-390
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Recently, thermal therapy such as sauna and sweating room is popular as a health behavior. In patients with heart failure, sauna treatment improves hemodynamic data and clinical symptoms by restoring endothelial function. The purpose of this study was to investigate that sauna bath could decrease pulse wave velocity reflecting vascular function of people in the community. METHODS: A total of 43 volunteers (11 male, 32 female) older than 40 years old were kept in 60 degrees C dry sauna for 15 to 20 minutes. We measured the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), blood pressure, heart rate, body weight and body temperature before and, 30 and 60 minutes after sauna bath and assessed the differences of the means of these measurements with repeated measures of ANOVA. Then, we peformed multiple regression analysis to find out the factors independently associated with the amount of baPWV change. RESULTS: The BaPWV and systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly 30 and 60 minutes after sauna bath comparing to those before (P<0.001, P=0.003, P=0.011, respectively). Multiple regression analysis showed that baseline baPWV and history of hypercholesterolemia independently influenced on the amount of baPWV change (beta=-0.47, P=0.002; beta=-0.36, P=0.013, respectively). CONCLUSION: We studied the acute reduction of pulse wave velocity after sauna bath in adults over 40 years old. This change was striking in the subjects with faster baseline baPWV. This result suggests that sauna bath can improve vascular function in the high risk group of cardiovascular diseases.
