Relationship between breathing and cardiovascular function at rest: Sex related differences

Abstract

Young men display a positive association between breathing rate and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). We compared breathing rate, peroneal MSNA and cardiovascular variables at rest in 17 men (age 27 ± 2 yrs) and 15 women (age 25 ± 1 yrs). Breathing rates and MSNA were similar in men and women but women had significantly lower systolic and mean blood pressures, cardiac output and stroke volume. In men breathing rate correlated positively to MSNA (r = 0.58, p<0.05) but not in women (r = 0.12, p> 0.05).. In men respiratory rate correlated positively to total peripheral resistance (r = 0.65, p<0.05) and inversely to cardiac output (r = − 0.84, p<0.05) and heart rate (r = − 0.60, p<0.05) but there were no such relationships in women (p> 0.05 for all). In another group of subjects, linear regression was performed on respiratory rate and brachial arterial plasma norepinephrine. There was no relationship in men (r=0.0847, n=38) or women (r=0.0367, n=74). Importantly, MSNA does not always predict plasma NE levels at rest. The positive relationship between breathing and MSNA in men, and the inverse coupling of breathing to cardiac output and heart rate suggest that influences of respiration may be important, not only for dynamic, but also for “tonic” cardiovascular function. The lack of relationships among these variables in women shows that there are fundamental differences in basic blood pressure regulation between the sexes.