EFFECTS OF GENDER ADN AGE DIFFERENCE ON THE ELECTRO-CARDIOGRAPHIC RESPONSE TO APNEIC FACIAL IMMERSION

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine Vol. 46; no. 5; pp. 461 - 470
• Main Author: OKANO, RYOSUKE
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine 01.01.1997
• Subjects: Age; Apneic facial immersion; Arrhythmias; Bradycardiac response; Gender; Growth and development; Heart rate; Individual differences; Physical fitness; Sex differences; Sports medicine; Water; Youth
• ISSN: 0039-906X; 1881-4751
• DOI: 10.7600/jspfsm1949.46.461

This study examined the effects of gender and age difference on the electrocardiographic response to apneic facial immersion (AFT) . Twenty males (aged 27.2±3.8 yrs) and 16 females (aged 25.1±3.7 yrs) served on the study of gender while 94 males and females (aged 13-67 yrs) served on the study of age. There was a significant difference between males and females in heart rate response in a few time series stages after AFT of 15°C and 30°C water temperature, however, then was no significant gender difference during each AFI in the bradycardiac response, incident rates and kinds of arrhythmias, latency of arrhythmias during AFT (LADA) and relative latency (RL) . For the age study significant quadraticcorrelations were found between the bradycardiac response during each AFT and age in spite of a large individual difference. The incident rates of arrhythmias were reduced significantly with age. Also, incidental arrhythmias of the younger group were partially different from those of the young group, suggesting the characteristic difference by growth and development. The incidental manner of arrhythmias after AFT of the middle and elder group (aged 40.67 yrs) was suggestive of a part of their agerelated feature. Although LADA was significantly shorter in the younger group than in the young group, there was no significant difference in RL between both groups. From these results, it was suggested that although gender need not be considered very carefully, age should be, for the method and criterion of AFI test.