Sauna exposure leads to improved arterial compliance: Findings from a non-randomised experimental study

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology

Volumn 25, Issue 2, 2018, Pages 130-138

  Lee, Earric ^a   Laukkanen, Tanjaniina ^b   Kunutsor, Setor K ^c   Khan, Hassan ^d   Willeit, Peter ^e,f   Zaccardi, Francesco ^g   Laukkanen, Jari A ^b,h  

^a UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ   (Finland)

^b UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND   (Finland)

^c UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL   (United Kingdom)

^d EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

^e INNSBRUCK MEDICAL UNIVERSITY   (Austria)

^f UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE   (United Kingdom)

^g LEICESTER GENERAL HOSPITAL   (United Kingdom)

^h Public Utility Laboratory KESLAB Central Finland Hospital District   (Finland)

Author keywords

Arterial stiffness; experimental study; heat therapy; pulse wave velocity; sauna bathing

Indexed keywords

ADULT; ARTERIAL STIFFNESS; ARTICLE; CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION; CARDIOVASCULAR RISK; CLINICAL OUTCOME; DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE; DYSLIPIDEMIA; ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY; FEMALE; HEART LEFT VENTRICLE EJECTION TIME; HEART RATE; HEMODYNAMICS; HUMAN; HYPERTENSION; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALE; MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PULSE PRESSURE; PULSE WAVE; SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE; THERMOTHERAPY; CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE; COMPLIANCE (PHYSICAL); HEART LEFT VENTRICLE FUNCTION; MIDDLE AGED; PATHOPHYSIOLOGY; SAUNA; TIME FACTOR; TREATMENT OUTCOME;

ADULT; CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES; COMPLIANCE; FEMALE; HEMODYNAMICS; HUMANS; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; PULSE WAVE ANALYSIS; STEAM BATH; TIME FACTORS; TREATMENT OUTCOME; VASCULAR STIFFNESS; VENTRICULAR FUNCTION, LEFT;

EID: 85040177205     PISSN: 20474873     EISSN: 20474881     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/2047487317737629     Document Type: Article

References (44)

1. Shibasaki M, Umemoto Y, Kinoshita T, The role of cardiac sympathetic innervation and skin thermoreceptors on cardiac responses during heat stress. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2015; 308: H1336–H1342.
2. Gagnon D, Schlader ZJ, Crandall CG. Sympathetic activity during passive heat stress in healthy aged humans. J Physiol 2015; 593: 2225–2235.
3. Crandall CG, González-Alonso J. Cardiovascular function in the heat-stressed human. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2010; 199: 407–423.
4. Brunt VE, Howard MJ, Francisco MA, Passive heat therapy improves endothelial function, arterial stiffness and blood pressure in sedentary humans. J Physiol 2016; 594: 5329–5342.
5. Radtke T, Poerschke D, Wilhelm M, Acute effects of Finnish sauna and cold-water immersion on haemodynamic variables and autonomic nervous system activity in patients with heart failure. Eur J Prev Cardiol 2016; 23: 593–601.
6. Brunt VE, Eymann TM, Francisco MA, Passive heat therapy improves cutaneous microvascular function in sedentary humans via improved nitric oxide-dependent dilation. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2016; 121: 716–723.
7. Ernst E, Pecho E, Wirz P, Regular sauna bathing and the incidence of common colds. Ann Med 1990; 22: 225–227.
8. Preisler B, Falkenbach A, Klüber B, et al. [The effect of the Finnish dry sauna on bronchial asthma in childhood.] Pneumologie 1990; 44: 1185–1187
9. Kanji G, Weatherall M, Peter R, Efficacy of regular sauna bathing for chronic tension-type headache: A randomized controlled study. J Altern Complement Med 2015; 21: 103–109.
10. Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Intern Med 2015; 175: 542–548.
11. Imamura M, Biro S, Kihara T, Repeated thermal therapy improves impaired vascular endothelial function in patients with coronary risk factors. J Am Coll Cardiol 2001; 38: 1083–1088.
12. Mitchell GF. Arterial stiffness and wave reflection: Biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. Artery Res 2009; 3: 56–64.
13. Sakuragi S, Abhayaratna WP. Arterial stiffness: Methods of measurement, physiologic determinants and prediction of cardiovascular outcomes. Int J Cardiol 2010; 138: 112–118.
14. Vlachopoulos C, Aznaouridis K, Stefanadis C. Prediction of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality with arterial stiffness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Coll Cardiol 2010; 55: 1318–1327.
15. Ben-Shlomo Y, Spears M, Boustred C, Aortic pulse wave velocity improves cardiovascular event prediction: An individual participant meta-analysis of prospective observational data from 17,635 subjects. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014; 63: 636–646.
16. Franklin SS. Beyond blood pressure: Arterial stiffness as a new biomarker of cardiovascular disease. J Am Soc Hypertens 2008; 2: 140–151.
17. Vlachopoulos C, Alexopoulos N, Stefanadis C. Aortic stiffness: Prime time for integration into clinical practice? Hellenic J Cardiol 2010; 51: 385–390.
18. Van Sloten TT, Schram MT, van den Hurk K, Local stiffness of the carotid and femoral artery is associated with incident cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality: The Hoorn study. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014; 63: 1739–1747.
19. Paultre F, Mosca L. Association of blood pressure indices and stroke mortality in isolated systolic hypertension. Stroke 2005; 36: 1288–1290.
20. Safar ME, Boudier HS. Vascular development, pulse pressure, and the mechanisms of hypertension. Hypertension 2005; 46: 205–209.
21. Benetos A, Gautier S, Labat C, Mortality and cardiovascular events are best predicted by low central/peripheral pulse pressure amplification but not by high blood pressure levels in elderly nursing home subjects: The PARTAGE (Predictive Values of Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Institutionalized Very Aged Population) study. J Am Coll Cardiol 2012; 60: 1503–1511.
22. Roman MJ, Devereux RB, Kizer JR, Central pressure more strongly relates to vascular disease and outcome than does brachial pressure: The Strong Heart Study. Hypertension 2007; 50: 197–203.
23. Tomlinson LA. Methods for assessing arterial stiffness: Technical considerations. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens 2012; 21: 655–660.
24. Salvi P, Lio G, Labat C, Validation of a new non-invasive portable tonometer for determining arterial pressure wave and pulse wave velocity: The PulsePen device. J Hypertens 2004; 22: 2285–2293.
25. Van Bortel LM, Laurent S, Boutouyrie P, Expert consensus document on the measurement of aortic stiffness in daily practice using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity. J Hypertens 2012; 30: 445–448.
26. Salvi P, Palombo C, Salvi GM, Left ventricular ejection time, not heart rate, is an independent correlate of aortic pulse wave velocity. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2013; 115: 1610–1617.
27. Munir S, Guilcher A, Kamalesh T, Peripheral augmentation index defines the relationship between central and peripheral pulse pressure. Hypertension 2008; 51: 112–118.
28. Wiesel J, Arbesfeld B, Schechter D. Comparison of the Microlife blood pressure monitor with the Omron blood pressure monitor for detecting atrial fibrillation. Am J Cardiol 2014; 114: 1046–1048.
29. Hamada M, Hiwada K, Kokubu T. Clinical significance of systolic time intervals in hypertensive patients. Eur Heart J 1990; 11: S105–S113.
30. Lantelme P, Mestre C, Lievre M, Heart rate: An important confounder of pulse wave velocity assessment. Hypertension 2002; 39: 1083–1087.
31. Townsend RR. Novel uses of office-based measures of arterial compliance. Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J 2015; 11: 219–222.
32. Wilkinson IB, Prasad K, Hall IR, Increased central pulse pressure and augmentation index in subjects with hypercholesterolemia. J Am Coll Cardiol 2002; 39: 1005–1011.
33. Schillaci G, Di Luzio S, Coluccini M, A low pulse pressure is an independent predictor of mortality in heart failure: Data from a large nationwide cardiology database (IN-CHF Registry). Ital Heart J 2004; 5: 892–898.
34. Mitchell GF, Hwang SJ, Vasan RS, Arterial stiffness and cardiovascular events: The Framingham Heart Study. Circulation 2010; 121: 505–511.
35. Glasser SP, Halberg DL, Sands C, Is pulse pressure an independent risk factor for incident acute coronary heart disease events? The REGARDS study. Am J Hypertens 2014; 27: 555–563.
36. Hannuksela ML, Ellahham S. Benefits and risks of sauna bathing. Am J Med 2001; 110: 118–126.
37. Zaccardi F, Laukkanen T, Willeit P, et al. Sauna bathing and incident hypertension: A prospective cohort study. Am J Hypertens 2017. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpx102
38. Ohori T, Nozawa T, Ihori H, Effect of repeated sauna treatment on exercise tolerance and endothelial function in patients with chronic heart failure. Am J Cardiol 2012; 109: 100–104.
39. Pescatello LS, Guidry MA, Blanchard BE, Exercise intensity alters postexercise hypotension. J Hypertens 2004; 22: 1881–1888.
40. Rezk CC, Marrache RC, Tinucci T, Post-resistance exercise hypotension, hemodynamics, and heart rate variability: Influence of exercise intensity. Eur J Appl Physiol 2006; 98: 105–112.
41. Caldwell AR, Robinson FB, Tucker MA, Effect of passive heat stress and exercise in the heat on arterial stiffness. Eur J Appl Physiol 2017; 117: 1679–1687.
42. Caldwell AR, Tucker MA, Burchfield J, et al. Hydration status influences the measurement of arterial stiffness. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2017. doi: 10.1111/cpf.12436
43. Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen JA. Circulating active serum calcium reduces the risk of hypertension. Eur J Prev Cardiol 2017; 24: 239–243.
44. Joly L, Perret-Guillaume C, Kearney-Schwartz A, Pulse wave velocity assessment by external noninvasive devices and phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging in the obese. Hypertension 2009; 54: 421–426.