Effects of age, sex, and physical fitness on responses to local cooling

The response to local cooling was estimated by the cold hand test (5 degrees C for 2 min) and the cold face test (0 degrees C with 66 km.h-1 wind for 2 min). Heart rate, blood pressure, and skin temperature were measured before, during, and after the tests. The increase in blood pressure (cold hand test) and the fall in Tsk (cold face test) were reduced in trained subjects. Similarly older subjects (53-60 yr of age) responded less to a cold hand test than younger subjects aged 20-40. However, the bradycardia caused by the cold face test was more pronounced in the older subjects. The responses to the cold hand and cold face tests were the same for male and female subjects. During the 2 min after the test, blood pressure and heart rate fell below initial values in the female group but not in the male. It is concluded that, besides adaptation to cold, individual factors such as age, sex, and physical fitness also have a relative importance in the responses to local cooling.