Prevalence of excessive erythrocytosis, the main sign of chronic mountain sickness (CMS), is greater in postmenopausal Andean women than in premenopausal women. It is uncertain whether this greater prevalence is related to the decline in female hormones and ventilatory function after the occurrence of the menopause. To study this, we compared the physiological variables involved in the physiopa...

AIM To determine the variation of hemoglobin (Hb) in two groups of miners working at different altitudes. METHODOLOGY A longitudinal study conducted in a private company. Hb was obtained from entrance exams and annual checks of workers at two locations: at sea level and at Peruvian highlands (4,100 m), taken by trained staff and equipment calibrated to environmental conditions. We analyzed va...

We kindly thank the journal for the opportunity to respond to the recent comments made regarding our manuscript entitled "Acute mountain sickness among tourists visiting the high-altitude city of Lhasa, Tibet, China at 3658 m above sea level: A cross-sectional study".

A historical account of the important landmarks in man's experience with the high altitude environment is followed by comments on the important stages in the understanding of its physiological effects. The work of The Mount Logan High Altitude Physiology Study on acute mountain sickness is reviewed from its inception in 1967 until the present.

British Journal of General Practice, January 2016 e62 INTRODUCTION Travel to altitudes above 2500 m is a popular recreational activity that presents a potential risk of high-altitude illness. Acute mountain sickness (AMS), for example, affects up to three-quarters of trekkers attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa (5895 m). GPs should be able to provide practical advice ...

Chronic mountain sickness (CMS) is estimated at 1.2% in Tibetans living at the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Eighteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from nine nuclear genes that have an association with CMS in Tibetans have been analyzed by using pairwise linkage disequilibrium (LD). The SNPs included are the angiotensin-converting enzyme (rs4340), the angiotensinogen (rs699), and the angiot...

Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS) patients have repeatedly been found to hypoventilate. Low saturation in CMS is attributed to hypoventilation. Although this observation seems logical, a further understanding of the exact mechanism of hypoxia is mandatory. An exercise study using the Bruce Protocol in CMS (n = 13) compared to normals N (n = 17), measuring ventilation (VE), pulse (P), and saturati...

Sustained hypoxia caused by migration of native sea-level dwellers to high altitude or by chronic lung disease leads to the development of increased pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary hypertension, a response to hypoxia that is unique to the pulmonary circulation. In susceptible individuals at high altitude (subacute and chronic mountain sickness) and in lung disease, the resultant pul...

In a rat model of chronic mountain sickness, the excessive polycythemic response to hypoxic exposure is associated with profound splenic erythropoiesis. We studied the uptake and distribution of radioactive iron and red blood cell (RBC) morphology in intact and splenectomized rats over a 30-day hypoxic exposure. Retention of (59)Fe in the plasma was correlated with (59)Fe uptake by both spleen ...