THE STATE OF CENTRAL HEMODYNAMICS IN STUDENTS DURING LEARNING (LONGITUDINAL STUDY)

Abstract

The article examines the characteristics of adaptive cardiovascular responses in female students from various specialties during their training and pedagogical practice under conditions of chronic academic stress. The study involved 125 women from V. Hnatiuk Ternopil National Pedagogical University, specializing in foreign languages (FL, n = 33), physical education (PE, n = 32), physics and mathematics (PM, n = 30), and chemistry and biology (CB, n = 30). This longitudinal study was conducted during the first year, in the fourth year before practice, and after its completion. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure were measured, and integral indicators of central hemodynamics were calculated, including minute blood volume (MBV), stroke volume, cardiac index (CI), total peripheral vascular resistance (TPVR), specific peripheral vascular resistance (SPVR), Robinson index (IR), blood circulation efficiency coefficient (BCEC), and adaptation potential (AP). Statistical analysis was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk test and the nonparametric Wilcoxon test; data are presented as medians and quartiles.
In the first year, all groups exhibited signs of an acute adaptive response, characterized by increases in heart rate (HR), mean blood volume (MBV), and blood cell energy consumption (BCEC), alongside a strain on adaptive potential. Among FL students, the most significant changes during their studies were observed in HR, MBV, cardiac index (CI), and BCEC, all of which significantly decreased by the fourth year (p ≤ 0.001). This decrease occurred concurrently with increases in total peripheral vascular resistance (TPVR) and systemic peripheral vascular resistance (SPVR) (p ≤ 0.001), indicating the development of a more economical type of blood circulation. In women studying physical education (PE), the most notable changes included decreases in systolic blood pressure (SBP), pulse pressure, HR, MBV, CI, and arterial pressure (AP) (p ≤ 0.001). After practical training, there was an increase in HR and MBV, accompanied by a decrease in vascular resistance (p ≤ 0.001), reflecting the mobilization of functional reserves. Among fourth-year preventive medicine (PM) students, vascular regulatory changes predominated, with increases in TPVR and SPVR and decreases in MBV and CI (p ≤ 0.001). Following practical training, HR, MBV, and secondary blood volume increased significantly (p ≤ 0.001). In female CB students, hemodynamic parameters remained relatively stable throughout training; the most pronounced changes were decreases in HR and CI (p ≤ 0.01) in the fourth year, and reductions in blood pressure and vascular resistance after practical training (p ≤ 0.05), indicating optimization of regulatory mechanisms.
The results indicate that the academic workload, which varies across faculties, generates distinct patterns of long-term adaptation in the cardiovascular system. These adaptations are primarily influenced by the differing contributions of cardiac and vascular regulatory mechanisms.