Firefighter Work Duration Influences the Extent of Acute Kidney Injury

Purpose: We tested the hypothesis that elevations in biomarkers of acute kidney injury are influenced by the magnitude of hyperthermia and dehydration elicited by two common firefighter work durations. Methods: Twenty-nine healthy adults (10 females) wearing firefighter protective clothing completed two randomized trials where they walked at 4.8 km·h−1, 5% grade in a 38°C, 50% RH environment. In the short trial, subjects completed two 20-min exercise bouts. In the long trial (LONG), subjects completed three 20-min exercise bouts. Each exercise bout was separated by 10 min of standing rest in an ~20°C environment. Venous blood samples were obtained before and immediately after exercise, and after 1 h recovery. Dependent variables included changes in core temperature, body weight, plasma volume, serum creatinine, and plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, a marker of renal tubule injury. Results: Changes in core temperature (+2.0°C ± 0.7°C vs +1.1°C ± 0.4°C, P
Source: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Applied Sciences Source Type: research