PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Sara E. Hartmann AU - Christine K. Kissel AU - Lian Szabo AU - Brandie L. Walker AU - Richard Leigh AU - Todd J. Anderson AU - Marc J. Poulin TI - Increased ventilatory response to carbon dioxide in COPD patients following vitamin C administration AID - 10.1183/23120541.00017-2015 DP - 2015 May 01 TA - ERJ Open Research PG - 00017-2015 VI - 1 IP - 1 4099 - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/1/1/00017-2015.short 4100 - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/1/1/00017-2015.full SO - erjor2015 May 01; 1 AB - Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have decreased ventilatory and cerebrovascular responses to hypercapnia. Antioxidants increase the ventilatory response to hypercapnia in healthy humans. Cerebral blood flow is an important determinant of carbon dioxide/hydrogen ion concentration at the central chemoreceptors and may be affected by antioxidants. It is unknown whether antioxidants can improve the ventilatory and cerebral blood flow response in individuals in whom these are diminished. Thus, we aimed to determine the effect of vitamin C administration on the ventilatory and cerebrovascular responses to hypercapnia during healthy ageing and in COPD.Using transcranial Doppler ultrasound, we measured the ventilatory and cerebral blood flow responses to hyperoxic hypercapnia before and after an intravenous vitamin C infusion in healthy young (Younger) and older (Older) subjects and in moderate COPD.Vitamin C increased the ventilatory response in COPD patients (mean (95% CI) 1.1 (0.9–1.1) versus 1.5 (1.1–2.0) L·min−1·mmHg−1, p<0.05) but not in Younger (2.5 (1.9–3.1) versus 2.4 (1.9–2.9) L·min−1·mmHg−1, p>0.05) or Older (1.3 (1.0–1.7) versus 1.3 (1.0–1.7) L·min−1·mmHg−1, p>0.05) healthy subjects. Vitamin C did not affect the cerebral blood flow response in the young or older healthy subjects or COPD subjects (p>0.05).Vitamin C increases the ventilatory but not cerebrovascular response to hyperoxic hypercapnia in patients with moderate COPD.Central chemosensitivity is increased after vitamin C infusion in COPD but not healthy young or older individuals http://ow.ly/Qf2TG