Adrenomedullin and elements of orthostatic competence after 41 h of voluntary submersion in water as measured in four healthy males

Abstract

Four men established a new score (Guinness Book of Records) by staying submersed in thermoneutral water (average diving depth 2.5 m) for 41 h without sleeping. The aim of this study is to measure circulating hormones together with plasma mass density and total protein concentration as indices of plasma volume change to test the hypotheses that (1) blood volume and related hormones are influenced by prolonged water submersion the same way as observed after short-term water immersion, and (2) plasma adrenomedullin levels change in an opposite fashion as with orthostatic stimulation. We also studied effects on cortisol and testosterone levels. Water submersion led to a 19% increase in plasma protein concentration and a 2.5 g/l rise in plasma mass density, corresponding to a 15.6+/-1.1% plasma volume decrease (P=0.00). We therefore individually corrected (c) the observed post-submersion hormone values for plasma volume contraction. Based on this correction, we found a rise of plasma adrenomedullin from 7.9+/-0.9 to 12.5(c)+/-2.3 pg/ml. Aldosterone rose from 123+/-14 to 186(c)+/-24 ng/ml (P=0.029); plasma renin activity increased in all four persons but the type I error was >0.05. Plasma testosterone decreased from 3.5+/-0.4 to 2.2(c)+/-0.6 ng/ml (P=0.009) while plasma cortisol stayed unchanged. The daily salivary cortisol rhythm was preserved. We conclude that long-term water submersion has endocrine as well as plasma volume effects that are opposite to those seen after short-term immersion, and which increases plasma adrenomedullin. Circadian cortisol rhythm seems to be conserved even under extreme circumstances as those of this study.