Urinary thrombomodulin and catecholamine levels are interrelated in healthy volunteers immersed in cold and warm water.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Non-randomized crossover physiological study
PubMed 27227082 · doi:10.1080/23328940.2015.1033589
What was done
Seven healthy male volunteers underwent two separate water immersion sessions: a cold immersion (10 minutes in 10°C water followed by 20 minutes in 28°C water) and a warm immersion (30 minutes in 30°C water). Circulating and urinary thrombomodulin and catecholamine concentrations were measured before immersion and up to 23 hours post-immersion.
What was found
Urinary thrombomodulin correlated strongly with adrenaline (ρ = 0.806) and noradrenaline (ρ = 0.760). There were no significant differences in thrombomodulin levels between the cold and warm immersion conditions. Post-immersion urinary thrombomodulin levels were significantly lower than pre-immersion levels at both temperatures. Median concentrations of plasma noradrenaline and urinary adrenaline were higher after exposure to 10°C than to 30°C (exact values not provided in the abstract).
Why it matters
The study demonstrates an interrelation between urinary thrombomodulin and catecholamines during thermal stress, while showing that brief, non-hypothermic cold water immersion does not selectively modify thrombomodulin levels across a 23-hour window.
Limits
The study is limited by a very small sample size (n = 7) restricted to healthy men. Randomization of immersion order is not reported in the abstract, and functional haemostatic or clinical endpoints were not measured.
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