Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Clinical Investigation logoLink to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
. 1973 Aug;52(8):1812–1819. doi: 10.1172/JCI107363

Attenuation of the Ventilatory and Heart Rate Responses to Hypoxia and Hypercapnia with Aging in Normal Men

Richard S Kronenberg 1, Charles W Drage 1
PMCID: PMC302461  PMID: 4719663

Abstract

The response of ventilation and of heart rate to hypoxia and hypercapnia was determined in eight young normal men age 22-30 yr and eight elderly men age 64-73. The elderly men were selected and carefully screened to eliminate the possibility of cardiopulmonary disease. All the subjects were born at low altitude and had no significant prior exposure to hypoxia. The ventilatory response to hypoxia was measured as the exponential slope constant. k, of regression lines relating the logarithm of incremental ventilation to PAo2 during isocapnic progressive hypoxia. The heart rate response to hypoxia was measured as the percentage change in heart rate between PAo2 = 100 and PAo2 = 40 mm Hg. The ventilatory response to hypercapnia was measured as the slope of regression lines relating ventilation to PAco2 during rebreathing with PAo2 > 200 mm Hg. The heart rate response to hypercapnia was measured as the percentage change in heart rate between control values at the start of the rebreathing test and PACO2 = 55 mm Hg.

The ventilatory and heart rate responses to both hypoxia and hypercapnia were significantly decreased in the elderly men as compared to the young men. Hypoxic ventilatory drive was decreased by 51±6% (mean ±SEM: P < 0.001) and hypercapnic drive by 41±7% (P < 0.025). The percentage change in heart rate produced by hypoxia was 34±5% (mean ±SEM) in the young normals and 12±2% in the old normals (P < 0.005). Similar figures for heart rate in response to hypercapnia were 15±3% and -1±1% for the young and old normal groups (P < 0.001).

We conclude that ventilatory and heart rate responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia diminish with age. These alterations in both ventilatory and circulatory controls could make older individuals more vulnerable to hypoxic disease states.

Full text

PDF
1812

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BRODOVSKY D., MACDONELL J. A., CHERNIACK R. M. The respiratory response to carbon dioxide in health and in emphysema. J Clin Invest. 1960 May;39:724–729. doi: 10.1172/JCI104089. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Byrne-Quinn E., Sodal I. E., Weil J. V. Hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory drives in children native to high altitude. J Appl Physiol. 1972 Jan;32(1):44–46. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1972.32.1.44. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Byrne-Quinn E., Weil J. V., Sodal I. E., Filley G. F., Grover R. F. Ventilatory control in the athlete. J Appl Physiol. 1971 Jan;30(1):91–98. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1971.30.1.91. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CORMACK R. S., CUNNINGHAM D. J., GEE J. B. The effect of carbon dioxide on the respiratory response to want of oxygen in man. Q J Exp Physiol Cogn Med Sci. 1957 Jul;42(3):303–319. doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.1957.sp001266. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clark T. J. The ventilatory response to CO2 in chronic airways obstruction measured by a rebreathing method. Clin Sci. 1968 Jun;34(3):559–568. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DEJOURS P. Chemoreflexes in breathing. Physiol Rev. 1962 Jul;42:335–358. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1962.42.3.335. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Edelman N. H., Lahiri S., Braudo L., Cherniack N. S., Fishman A. P. The blunted ventilatory response to hypoxia in cyanotic congenital heart disease. N Engl J Med. 1970 Feb 19;282(8):405–411. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197002192820801. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Forster H. V., Dempsey J. A., Birnbaum M. L., Reddan W. G., Thoden J., Grover R. F., Rankin J. Effect of chronic exposure to hypoxia on ventilatory response to CO 2 and hypoxia. J Appl Physiol. 1971 Oct;31(4):586–592. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1971.31.4.586. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. KEYS A., TAYLOR H. L., BLACKBURN H., BROZEK J., ANDERSON J. T., SIMONSON E. CORONARY HEART DISEASE AMONG MINNESOTA BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MEN FOLLOWED FIFTEEN YEARS. Circulation. 1963 Sep;28:381–395. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.28.3.381. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KORY R. C., CALLAHAN R., BOREN H. G., SYNER J. C. The Veterans Administration-Army cooperative study of pulmonary function. I. Clinical spirometry in normal men. Am J Med. 1961 Feb;30:243–258. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(61)90096-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kronenberg R., Hamilton F. N., Gabel R., Hickey R., Read D. J., Severinghaus J. Comparison of three methods for quantitating respiratory response to hypoxia in man. Respir Physiol. 1972 Sep;16(1):109–125. doi: 10.1016/0034-5687(72)90092-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. LOESCHCHKE H. H., GERTZ K. H. Einfluss des O2-Druckes in der Einatmungsluft auf die Atemtätigkeit des Menschen, geprüft unter Konstanthaltung des alveolaren CO2-Druckes. Pflugers Arch. 1958;267(5):460–477. doi: 10.1007/BF00361733. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lahiri S., Kao F. F., Velásquez T., Martinez C., Pezzia W. Irreversible blunted respiratory sensitivity to hypoxia in high altitude natives. Respir Physiol. 1969 Apr;6(3):360–374. doi: 10.1016/0034-5687(69)90034-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lefrançois R., Gautier H., Pasquis P., Cevaer A. M., Hellot M. F., Leroy J. Chemoreflex ventilatory response to CO 2 in man at low and high altitudes. Respir Physiol. 1972 Apr;14(3):296–306. doi: 10.1016/0034-5687(72)90036-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lugliani R., Whipp B. J., Seard C., Wasserman K. Effect of bilateral carotid-body resection on ventilatory control at rest and during exercise in man. N Engl J Med. 1971 Nov;285(20):1105–1111. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197111112852002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mellemgaard K. The alveolar-arterial oxygen difference: its size and components in normal man. Acta Physiol Scand. 1966 May;67(1):10–20. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1966.tb03281.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. PERMUTT S., MARTIN H. B. Static pressure-volume characteristics of lungs in normal males. J Appl Physiol. 1960 Sep;15:819–825. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1960.15.5.819. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. PIERCE J. A., EBERT R. V. The elastic properties of the lungs in the aged. J Lab Clin Med. 1958 Jan;51(1):63–71. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Patrick J. M., Howard A. The influence of age, sex, body size and lung size on the control and pattern of breathing during CO 2 inhalation in Caucasians. Respir Physiol. 1972 Dec;16(3):337–350. doi: 10.1016/0034-5687(72)90063-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. RAINE J. M., BISHOP J. M. A-a difference in O2 tension and physiological dead space in normal man. J Appl Physiol. 1963 Mar;18:284–288. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1963.18.2.284. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Read D. J. A clinical method for assessing the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide. Australas Ann Med. 1967 Feb;16(1):20–32. doi: 10.1111/imj.1967.16.1.20. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Severinghaus J. W., Bainton C. R., Carcelen A. Respiratory insensitivity to hypoxia in chronically hypoxic man. Respir Physiol. 1966;1(3):308–334. doi: 10.1016/0034-5687(66)90049-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Severinghaus J. W., Hamilton F. N. End-tidal gas sampler. J Appl Physiol. 1970 Feb;28(2):244–244. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1970.28.2.244. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sorensen S. C., Cruz J. C. Ventilatory response to a single breath of CO2 in O2 in normal man at sea level and high altitude. J Appl Physiol. 1969 Aug;27(2):186–190. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1969.27.2.186. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sorensen S. C., Severinghaus J. W. Irreversible respiratory insensitivity to acute hypoxia in man born at high altitude. J Appl Physiol. 1968 Sep;25(3):217–220. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1968.25.3.217. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Sorensen S. C., Severinghaus J. W. Respiratory insensitivity to acute hypoxia persisting after correction of tetralogy of Fallot. J Appl Physiol. 1968 Sep;25(3):221–223. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1968.25.3.221. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Teculescu D. B., Stănescu D. C. Lung diffusing capacity. Normal values in male smokers and non-smokers using the breath-holding technique. Scand J Respir Dis. 1970;51(3):137–149. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Turner J. M., Mead J., Wohl M. E. Elasticity of human lungs in relation to age. J Appl Physiol. 1968 Dec;25(6):664–671. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1968.25.6.664. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Wade J. G., Larson C. P., Jr, Hickey R. F., Ehrenfeld W. K., Severinghaus J. W. Effect of carotid endarterectomy on carotid chemoreceptor and baroreceptor function in man. N Engl J Med. 1970 Apr 9;282(15):823–829. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197004092821501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Weil J. V., Byrne-Quinn E., Sodal I. E., Filley G. F., Grover R. F. Acquired attenuation of chemoreceptor function in chronically hypoxic man at high altitude. J Clin Invest. 1971 Jan;50(1):186–195. doi: 10.1172/JCI106472. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Weil J. V., Byrne-Quinn E., Sodal I. E., Friesen W. O., Underhill B., Filley G. F., Grover R. F. Hypoxic ventilatory drive in normal man. J Clin Invest. 1970 Jun;49(6):1061–1072. doi: 10.1172/JCI106322. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Investigation are provided here courtesy of American Society for Clinical Investigation

RESOURCES