Originally published October 12 2005
Texas researchers find link between heart failure and body temperature
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Dr. Benjamin Levine, professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, coauthored a study that found reduced blood flow may very well be a contributing factor to congestive heart failure, as a study of heart failure patients confirmed they were not able to cool their bodies as effectively as healthy patients.
The first study to investigate how heat affects people with heart failure shows that one of two ways the body can cool itself is not as effective in those with congestive heart failure relative to healthy individuals.
The results, published in today's issue of the journal Circulation, emphasize the need for people with heart failure to take special care when the weather is hot, said Dr. Benjamin Levine, professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and one of the study's two senior authors.
"We wondered whether either sweating or skin/blood responses would be impaired in heart failure patients," said Dr. Craig Crandall, associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern and the other senior author of the study.
He and his colleagues discovered no difference in sweating responses among study participants with heart failure or healthy subjects.
However, the skin/blood flow response in those with heart failure was significantly impaired, by as much as 50 percent when compared to the control group.
For testing, all were put into tube-lines suits and the temperature of the water perfusing the suits was elevated, resulting in increases in skin and internal temperatures.
Increased blood flow to skin works as a kind of radiator for the body.
Blood pressure, heart rate, forearm skin blood flow and sweat rate were collected while 93.2-degree Fahrenheit water perfused through the suit.
After six minutes, whole-body heating began by elevating the skin temperature to 100.4 F, a temperature high enough to cause sweating and elevated blood flow to the skin.
"If a person doesn't have enough pump function to get the blood flowing, they're going to have difficulty controlling their body temperature," Dr. Levine said.
"What we can say is that they should be more aware of the heat and, if they begin to feel overheated, they should get into an air-conditioned environment."
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