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2071793 
Technical Report 
Excretion Of Epinephrine And Norepinephrine In Urine In Presence Of Pressure-Chamber Hypoxia In Man 
Yakovleva, IP; Balakhovskiy, IS; Polyakov, VN; Stepanov, VK; Dvornikov, MV 
1983 
NIOSH/00147674 
17 
1 
71-75 
The effect of hypoxia in altitude chambers on urinary excretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine was studied in the Soviet Union. Hypoxia tolerance was also studied as a function of urinary catecholamine excretion. Healthy young men, not adapted to hypoxia, were kept for 30 minutes at simulated altitudes of 5,000 meters (m). Those considered tolerant of hypoxia were then exposed to 6,500 to 7,000m until signs of hypoxia appeared. Subjects were later exposed to 3,500 or 4,000m for 24 hours. Urine was collected before exposures and at 3 to 5 hour intervals around the clock. Epinephrine and norepinephrine were assayed in urine acidulated with hydrochloric-acid by the trioxy-indole method after isolation on aluminum-oxide. Hypoxia tolerance was determined by observed reactions of subjects, primarily a drop in blood pressure. The elimination of epinephrine in urine was higher among subjects in the first exposure to the altitude chamber. Although exposures were almost twice as long at 6,500 to 7,000m, excretion of epinephrine was lower. Epinephrine excretion in tests for 24 hours did not increase with intensity or duration of hypoxia. Norepinephrine excretion did not vary significantly in any exposure condition. The authors conclude that pressure chamber hypoxia in itself does not cause increases in epinephrine or norepinephrine excretion in urine. Concomitant stress, as revealed in the first series of tests, does increase catecholamine excretion in urine. (Russian)