Physiologic and thermal responses of male and female patients with multiple sclerosis to head and neck cooling

Personal cooling systems are used to alleviate symptoms of multiple scleros is and to prevent increased core temperature during daily activities. The o bjective of this study was to determine the thermal and physiologic respons es of patients with multiple sclerosis to short-term maximal head and neck cooling. A Life Support Systems, Inc. Mark VII portable cooling system and a liquid cooling helmet were used to cool the head and neck regions of 24 f emale and 26 male patients with multiple sclerosis in this study. The subje cts, seated in an upright position at normal room temperature (similar to 2 2 degrees C), were cooled for 30 min by the liquid cooling garment, which w as operated at its maximum cooling capacity. Oral, right, and left ear temp eratures and cooling system parameters were logged manually every 5 min. Fo rearm, calf, chest, and rectal temperatures, heart rate, and respiration ra te were recorded continuously on a U.F.I., Inc. Biolog ambulatory monitor. This protocol was performed during the winter and summer to investigate the seasonal differences in the way patients with multiple sclerosis respond t o head and neck cooling. No significant differences were found between the male and female subject group's mean rectal or oral temperature responses d uring any phase of the experiment. The mean oral temperature decreased sign ificantly (P < 0.05) for both groups similar to 0.3 degrees C after 30 min of cooling and continued to decrease further (similar to 0.1-0.2 degrees C) for a period of similar to 15 min after removal of the cooling helmet. The mean rectal temperatures decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in both male a nd female subjects in the winter studies (similar to 0.2-0.3 degrees C) and for the male subjects during the summer test (similar to 0.2 degrees C). H owever, the rectal temperature of the female subjects did not change signif icantly during any phase of the summer test. These data indicate that head and neck cooling may, in general, be used to reduce the oral and body tempe ratures of both male and female patients with multiple sclerosis by the app roximate amount needed for symptomatic relief as shown by other researchers . However, thermal response of patients with multiple sclerosis may be affe cted by gender and seasonal factors, which should be considered in the use of liquid cooling therapy.