Overview
The purpose of this study is to assess how well cooling modalities work in reducing cardiovascular stress of the elderly to heat wave conditions
Description
Heat waves are lethal and cause a disproportionate number of deaths in the elderly relative to any other age group. Such deaths are primarily cardiovascular, not hyperthermia itself, in origin. The central hypothesis of this work is that cardiovascular stress during heat wave conditions in the elderly can be reduced by applying low-energy cooling modalities. Comprehensive cardiovascular and thermal responses in the elderly will be evaluated during exposure to two prolonged heat wave conditions: hot and humid (replicating the 1995 Chicago heat wave), very hot and dry (replicating the 2018 Los Angeles heat wave). With each of these heat wave conditions individuals will be exposed to the following cooling modalities: no cooling (control), water spray, fan use, and fan use plus water spray.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- 65 years of age or older
- Free of any significant underlying medical problems based upon a detailed medical history and physical exam
Exclusion Criteria:
- Known heart disease
- Other chronic medical conditions requiring regular medical therapy including cancer, diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, and uncontrolled hypercholesterolemia etc;
- Abnormality detected on routine screening suggestive of provokable ischemia or previously undetected cardiac disease or resting left bundle branch block on screening electrocardiogram.
- Current smokers, as well as individuals who regularly smoked within the past 3 years
- Subject with a body mass index ≥31 kg/m2
- Pregnant individuals