For many low-altitude (<1500 m) residents, their travel itineraries may cause them to ascend rapidly to high (>2400 m) altitudes without having the time to develop an adequate degree of altitude acclimatization. Prior to departing on these trips, low-altitude residents can induce some degree of altitude acclimatization by ascending to moderate (>1500 m) or high altitudes during either continuou...

OBJECTIVE To assess whether exposure to high altitude induces cognitive dysfunction in young healthy European children and adolescents during acute, short-term exposure to an altitude of 3450 m and in an age-matched European population permanently living at this altitude. STUDY DESIGN We tested executive function (inhibition, shifting, and working memory), memory (verbal, short-term visuospat...

Vital capacity and residual lung volume (in terms of 1/min or ml/m2 of body surface area) of 357 subjects (205 males, 152 females) was evaluated in La Paz, Bolivia, situated at 3,750 m. The sample included: (1) 37 high altitude rural natives (all male), (2) 125 high altitude urban natives (69 male, 58 female), (3) 85 Bolivians of foreign ancestry acclimatized to high altitude since birth (40 ma...

the study was carried out to investigate the effective soil and topographic features on distribution of plant types in sanib taftan watershed in sistan-and-balouchestan province, iran. initially, land units map was specified by combining three maps of slope, aspect and altitude. five types including artemisia santolina- hammada salicornica, artemisia sieberi- amygdalus lycioides, artemisia lehm...

purpose this study was performed to determine the possible causes and mechanisms of fatalities among iranian mountaineers during climbing. methods by contacting several sources, deceased mountaineers were identified. data about the causes and mechanism of death was retrospectively obtained using a standard questionnaire for each case. results a total of 29 deaths were identified from march 2006...

Prognosis and quality of life of chronic heart failure (HF) patients have greatly improved over the last decade. Consequently, many patients are willing to spend leisure time at altitude, usually <3500 m, but their safety in doing so is undefined. HF is a syndrome that often has relevant co-morbidities, such as pulmonary hypertension, COPD, unstable cardiac ischemia, and anemia. HF co-morbiditi...

OBJECTIVE To characterise the time course of changes in haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) in response to altitude exposure. METHODS This meta-analysis uses raw data from 17 studies that used carbon monoxide rebreathing to determine Hbmass prealtitude, during altitude and postaltitude. Seven studies were classic altitude training, eight were live high train low (LHTL) and two mixed classic and LHTL. S...

Altitude training has been employed as a tool for enhancing performance by athletes since the 1964 Mexico Olympics. The cost and impracticality of going to altitude regularly has led to the development of altitude simulation at sea level by creating low oxygen (‘hypoxia’) environments. ‘Altitude’ or ‘hypoxic’ training facilities are now springing up all around the country. The evidence supporti...

OBJECTIVES People living at high altitude experience unavoidable low oxygen levels (hypoxia). While acute hypoxia causes an increase in oxidative stress and damage despite higher antioxidant activity, the consequences of chronic hypoxia are poorly understood. The aim of the present study is to assess antioxidant activity and oxidative damage in high-altitude natives and upward migrants. METHO...

BACKGROUND The oxygen saturation of haemoglobin is reduced in high altitude-living organisms. Increase in the hematocrit is responsible for rise in the hemoglobin concentration so that the oxygen carrying capacity in the hypobaric hypoxic subject is elevated. OBJECTIVES To compare two different high altitude populations, in order to study the relationship between arterial oxygen saturation an...