Sex Differences in Reflex Responses to Intermittent Hypoxia

July 19, 2021 updated by: Jacqueline K Limberg, PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia
The purpose of the present study is to determine whether there are sex differences in the reflex responses to hypoxia in humans.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Over 35% of the US population will develop sleep apnea at some point in their life. Sleep apnea is the most common form of sleep disordered breathing and patients with sleep apnea are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure. Intermittent, repeated exposures to low oxygen during sleep (intermittent hypoxia, IH) has been implicated as the primary stimulus for increases in sympathetic nervous system activity and blood pressure with sleep apnea. Interestingly there are some reports of a lower incidence of hypertension in women with sleep apnea when compared to men. Results from the present study will provide information important to the investigator's understanding of potential sex-differences in clinical outcomes for conditions related to acute/chronic hypoxia and may have important implications for treatments which may improve blood pressure control in patients with sleep apnea.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

40

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Missouri
      • Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65211
        • University of Missouri-Columbia

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 45 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • healthy adult men and women;
  • BMI <30 kg/m2;
  • non-pregnant;
  • non-breastfeeding;
  • non-smokers;
  • premenopausal women with a normal menstrual cycle unaffected by hormonal contraceptive use;
  • taking no medications known to affect autonomic or cardiovascular function (PI discretion).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • taking any medications known to affect the cardiovascular or autonomic nervous system (e.g. alpha-blockers, beta-blockers, etc);
  • a self-reported history of hepatic, renal, pulmonary, cardiovascular, or neurological diseases;
  • stroke or neurovascular disease;
  • bleeding/clotting disorder;
  • sleep apnea or other sleep disorders;
  • diabetes;
  • smoking;
  • history of alcoholism or substance abuse;
  • hypertension.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Hypoxic Exposure
Men, and women in early or late follicular phase of menstrual cycle will be exposed to acute and intermittent hypoxic episodes.
30 minutes of intermittent hypoxia

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline Hypoxic Ventilatory Response after intermittent hypoxia
Time Frame: Through completion of intermittent hypoxia, an average of 3 hours
Hypoxia breathing will be recorded before and after intermittent hypoxia
Through completion of intermittent hypoxia, an average of 3 hours
Change from baseline Blood Pressure after intermittent hypoxia
Time Frame: Through completion of intermittent hypoxia, an average of 3 hours
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be recorded before and after intermittent hypoxia
Through completion of intermittent hypoxia, an average of 3 hours
Change from baseline Forearm Blood Flow after intermittent hypoxia
Time Frame: Through completion of intermittent hypoxia, an average of 3 hours
Blood flow in the forearm will be recorded before and after intermittent hypoxia
Through completion of intermittent hypoxia, an average of 3 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jacqueline Limberg, PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 13, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 15, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

July 15, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 11, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 27, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

July 30, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 21, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 19, 2021

Last Verified

July 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2011312
  • 4R00HL130339 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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