Reliance on vascular responses for the maintenance of blood pressure in healthy older adults-Insights from the Valsalva maneuver

Effective baroreflex-mediated cardiac and vascular resistance responses are crucial for homeostatic blood pressure control. We investigated the impacts of age and sex on arterial blood pressure regulation during a standard supine Valsalva maneuver (40 mmHg, 20s) in 46 healthy young and 25 healthy older adults. Noninvasive, continuous cardiovascular parameters were recorded. In older adults, cardiac output (older: -58.4 +/- 2.4%; young: -40.8 +/- 1.4%; p < 0.001) and stroke volume (older: -63.6 +/- 2.6%; young: -48.7 +/- 1.9%; p < 0.001) fell more than in young adults and was compensated by augmented vascular resistance responses (older: +189.8 +/- 17.6%; young: +105.8 +/- 6.7; p < 0.001); heart rate responses were attenuated in older adults. Male and female responses were comparable in their respective age groups.