scholarly journals Physiological Changes at Altitude in Nonasthmatic and Asthmatic Subjects

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianna Louie ◽  
Peter D Paré

Exercised-induced asthma is not due to exercise itself per se, but rather is due to cooling and/or drying of the airway because of the increased ventilation that accompanies exercise. Travel to high altitudes is accompanied by increased ventilation of cool, often dry, air, irrespective of the level of exertion, and by itself, this could represent an 'exercise' challenge for asthmatic subjects. Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction was measured at sea level and at various altitudes during a two-week trek through the Himalayas in a group of nonasthmatic and asthmatic subjects. The results of this study showed that in mild asthmatics, there was a significant reduction in peak expiratory flow at very high altitudes. Contrary to the authors' hypothesis, there was not a significant additional decrease in peak expiratory flow after exercise in the asthmatic subjects at high altitude. However, there was a significant fall in arterial oxygen saturation postexercise in the asthmatic subjects, a change that was not seen in the nonasthmatic subjects. These data suggest that asthmatic subjects develop bronchoconstriction when they go to very high altitudes, possibly via the same mechanism that causes exercise-induced asthma.

2010 ◽  
Vol 108 (5) ◽  
pp. 1267-1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E. Swain ◽  
Sara K. Rosenkranz ◽  
Bethany Beckman ◽  
Craig A. Harms

The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence and implications of expiratory flow limitation (EFL) during exercise in boys and girls. Forty healthy, prepubescent boys (B; n = 20) and girls (G; n = 20) were tested. Subjects completed pulmonary function tests and an incremental cycle maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o2max) test. EFL was recorded at the end of each exercise stage using the % tidal volume overlap method. Ventilatory and metabolic data were recorded throughout exercise. Arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) was determined via pulse oximetry. Body composition was determined using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. There were no differences ( P > 0.05) in height, weight, or body composition between boys and girls. At rest, boys had significantly higher lung volumes (total lung capacity, B = 2.6 ± 0.5 liters, G = 2.1 ± 0.5 liters) and peak expiratory flow rates (B = 3.6 ± 0.6 l/s; G = 1.6 ± 0.3 l/s). Boys also had significantly higher V̇o2max (B = 46.9 ± 5.9 ml·kg lean body mass−1·min−1, G = 41.7 ± 6.6 ml·kg lean body mass−1·min−1) and maximal ventilation (B = 49.8 ± 8.8 l/min, G = 41.2 ± 8.3 l/min) compared with girls. There were no sex differences ( P > 0.05) at V̇o2max in VE /Vco2, end-tidal Pco2, heart rate, respiratory exchange ratio, or SpO2. The prevalence (B = 19/20 vs. G = 18/20) and severity (B = 58 ± 7% vs. G = 43 ± 8% tidal volume) of EFL was not significantly different in boys compared with girls at V̇o2max. A significant relationship existed between % EFL at V̇o2max and the change in end-expiratory lung volume from rest to maximal exercise in boys ( r = 0.77) and girls ( r = 0.75). In summary, our data suggests that EFL is highly and equally prevalent in prepubescent boys and girls during heavy exercise, which led to an increased end-expiratory lung volume but not to decreases in arterial oxygen saturation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Binod Aryal

Pregnancy is a special condition in a women’s life with unique physiological changes. There has been some research on physiological changes in human body in high altitude; however, there are many things still unknown about pregnancy at high altitude. It is an estimation that about 140 million people worldwide live in high altitude of above 2500 m, and it is believed that the hypobaric hypoxia of pregnancy at high altitude is the most common cause for maternofetal hypoxia. It has been seen that the babies born at high altitude are smaller, and the degree of smallness is inversely correlated with the number of generations of ancestors of high-altitude residence. Some studies show that women in populations with high-altitude ancestry, such as the Aymaras or Quechuas in South America and Tibetans in Asia, deliver heavier babies than women from European ancestry in South America or Han women in China living at high altitude. A study by Jensen and Moore shows that in Colorado, altitude acts as an independent factor in determining birth weight, with a reduction in birth weight of 100 g per 1000 m elevation gain. Studies have shown that low birth weight at high altitude has no association with socioeconomic status. Hence, it may reflect either hypoxia-induced intrauterine growth restriction or genetic adaptation. The latter implies a strong fetomaternal interaction involving adaptation to hypoxia on several levels. It also reflects the importance of interaction between the mother and the fetus which is stressed by the fact that better maternal ventilator response to hypoxic stress at high altitude correlates positively with birth weight. Another study shows that people living at altitudes of 4000 m and above have an arterial partial pressure of oxygen of 50 mmHg and an arterial oxygen saturation of just above 80%. There has been many studies on populations living in high-altitude regions for many generations, like Quechuas and Tibetans, which show many functional and structural adaptations in high altitude. This adaptation helps to allow for a way out for the main metabolic problem they face: maintaining an acceptably high scope for sustained aerobic metabolism despite reduced availability of oxygen in the inspired air. The functional adaptation to high altitude is measured indirectly by determining aerobic capacity, which reflects not only the maximum work performance but also the success of the individual’s biological oxygen transport system.


1973 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-541
Author(s):  
P. Jaffe ◽  
P. König ◽  
O. Ijaduola ◽  
S. Walker ◽  
S. Godfrey

1. The changes in peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) and plasma cortisol were studied in relation to a 6 min period of treadmill running in six normal and eighteen asthmatic subjects. Of the asthmatics patients, five were not receiving treatment with steroids, six were receiving low doses of steroids (under 7·5 mg of prednisone daily) and seven were receiving high doses of steroids (over 7·5 mg of prednisone daily) at the time of study. 2. All subjects were studied twice within 1 week at similar times of day, once after premedication with sodium cromoglycate (SCG) and once after a placebo. 3. Resting PEF and plasma cortisol did not differ between placebo and SCG tests. 4. No change in PEF occurred as a result of exercise in the control subjects. The asthmatic patients developed post-exercise bronchoconstriction which was partly prevented by SCG but was not affected by steroids. 5. Plasma cortisol rose after exercise in the asthmatic subjects but not in the control subjects. The rise may have been related to the stress of exercise-induced asthma. SCG had no significant effect on plasma cortisol after exercise.


2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 454-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina M. Bosch ◽  
Tobias M. Merz ◽  
Daniel Barthelmes ◽  
Benno L. Petrig ◽  
Frederic Truffer ◽  
...  

Little is known about the ocular and cerebral blood flow during exposure to increasingly hypoxic conditions at high altitudes. There is evidence that an increase in cerebral blood flow resulting from altered autoregulation constitutes a risk factor for acute mountain sickness (AMS) and high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) by leading to capillary overperfusion and vasogenic cerebral edema. The retina represents the only part of the central nervous system where capillary blood flow is visible and can be measured by noninvasive means. In this study we aimed to gain insights into retinal and choroidal autoregulatory properties during hypoxia and to correlate circulatory changes to symptoms of AMS and clinical signs of HACE. This observational study was performed within the scope of a high-altitude medical research expedition to Mount Muztagh Ata (7,546 m). Twenty seven participants underwent general and ophthalmic examinations up to a maximal height of 6,800 m. Examinations included fundus photography and measurements of retinal and choroidal blood flow, as well as measurement of arterial oxygen saturation and hematocrit. The initial increase in retinal blood velocity was followed by a decrease despite further ascent, whereas choroidal flow increase occurred later, at even higher altitudes. The sum of all adaptational mechanisms resulted in a stable oxygen delivery to the retina and the choroid. Parameters reflecting the retinal circulation and optic disc swelling correlated well with the occurrence of AMS-related symptoms. We demonstrate that sojourns at high altitudes trigger distinct behavior of retinal and choroidal blood flow. Increase in retinal but not in choroidal blood flow correlated with the occurrence of AMS-related symptoms.


2007 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alastair N. H. Hodges ◽  
A. William Sheel ◽  
John R. Mayo ◽  
Donald C. McKenzie

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise on extravascular lung water as it may relate to pulmonary gas exchange. Ten male humans underwent measures of maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o2 max) in two conditions: normoxia (N) and normobaric hypoxia of 15% O2 (H). Lung density was measured by quantified MRI before and 48.0 ± 7.4 and 100.7 ± 15.1 min following 60 min of cycling exercise in N (intensity = 61.6 ± 9.5% V̇o2 max) and 55.5 ± 9.8 and 104.3 ± 9.1 min following 60 min cycling exercise in H (intensity = 65.4 ± 7.1% hypoxic V̇o2 max), where V̇o2 max = 65.0 ± 7.5 ml·kg−1·min−1 (N) and 54.1 ± 7.0 ml·kg−1·min−1 (H). Two subjects demonstrated mild exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia (EIAH) [minimum arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2 min) = 94.5% and 93.8%], and seven subjects demonstrated moderate EIAH (SaO2 min = 91.4 ± 1.1%) as measured noninvasively during the V̇o2 max test in N. Mean lung densities, measured once preexercise and twice postexercise, were 0.177 ± 0.019, 0.181 ± 0.019, and 0.173 ± 0.019 g/ml (N) and 0.178 ± 0.021, 0.174 ± 0.022, and 0.176 ± 0.019 g/ml (H), respectively. No significant differences ( P > 0.05) were found in lung density following exercise in either condition or between conditions. Transient interstitial pulmonary edema did not occur following sustained steady-state cycling exercise in N or H, indicating that transient edema does not result from pulmonary capillary leakage during sustained submaximal exercise.


1995 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 575-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Harms ◽  
J. M. Stager

Is inadequate hyperventilation a cause of the exercise-induced hypoxemia observed in some athletes during intense exercise? If so, is this related to low chemoresponsiveness? To test the hypothesis that exercise-induced hypoxemia, inadequate hyperventilation, and chemoresponsiveness are related, 36 nonsmoking healthy men were divided into hypoxemic (Hyp; n = 13) or normoxemic (Nor; n = 15) groups based on arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2; Hyp < or = 90%, Nor > 92%) observed during maximum O2 uptake (VO2max). Men with intermediate SaO2 values (n = 8) were only included in correlation analysis. Ventilatory parameters were collected at rest, during a treadmill maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) test, and during a 5-min run at 90% VO2max. Chemoresponsiveness at rest was assessed via hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) and hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR). VO2max was not significantly different between Nor and Hyp. SaO2 was 93.8 +/- 0.9% (Nor) and 87.7 +/- 2.0% (Hyp) at VO2max. End-tidal PO2 and the ratio of minute ventilation to oxygen consumption (VE/VO2) were lower while PETCO2 was higher for Hyp (P < or = 0.01). End-tidal PO2, end-tidal PCO2, and VE/VO2 correlated (P < or = 0.05) to SaO2 (r = 0.84, r = -0.70, r = 0.72, respectively), suggesting that differences in oxygenation were due to differences in ventilation. HVR and HCVR were significantly lower for Hyp. HVR was related to VE/VO2 (r = 0.43), and HCVR was related to the ratio of VE to CO2 production at VO2max (r = 0.61)


Sports ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Camilla R. Illidi ◽  
Julie Stang ◽  
Jørgen Melau ◽  
Jonny Hisdal ◽  
Trine Stensrud

The acute effects of cold-water endurance swimming on the respiratory system have received little attention. We investigated pulmonary responses to cold-water endurance swimming in healthy recreational triathletes. Pulmonary function, alveolar diffusing capacity (DLCO), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) and arterial oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2) were assessed in 19 healthy adults one hour before and 2.5 h after a cold-water (mean ± SD, 10 ± 0.9 °C) swim trial (62 ± 27 min). In addition, 12 out of the 19 participants measured pulmonary function, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 3, 10, 20 and 45 min post-swim by maximal expiratory flow volume loops and DLCO by the single breath technique. FVC and FEV1 were significantly reduced 3 min post-swim (p = 0.02) (p = 0.04), respectively, and five of 12 participants (42%) experienced exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), defined as a ≥ 10% drop in FEV1. No significant changes were observed in pulmonary function 2.5 h post-swim. However, mean FENO and DLCO were significantly reduced by 7.1% and 8.1% (p = 0.01) and (p < 0.001), respectively, 2.5 h post-swim, accompanied by a 2.5% drop (p < 0.001) in SpO2. The absolute change in DLCO correlated significantly with the absolute decline in core temperature (r = 0.52; p = 0.02). Conclusion: Cold-water endurance swimming may affect the lungs in healthy recreational triathletes lasting up to 2.5 h post-swim. Some individuals appear to be more susceptible to pulmonary impairments than others, although these mechanisms need to be studied further.


2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 7) ◽  
pp. 325-330
Author(s):  
S. Jiang ◽  
K. Hu ◽  
HG Fan ◽  
BS Yin ◽  
X. Li ◽  
...  

Cardiorespiratory effects were assessed during ketamine/xylazine premedication followed by emulsified isoflurane anaesthesia in swine undergoing experimental embryo transplantation. Ketamine (10 mg/kg) and xylazine (3.5 mg/kg) were premedicated intravenously, followed by continuous administration of intravenous emulsified isoflurane (2.8 ml/kg/h). Cardiorespiratory parameters, including heart rate, respiratory rate, mean arterial blood pressure, arterial oxygen saturation, and rectal temperature, were recorded in sows undergoing surgical embryo transplantation. Ketamine/xylazine premedication resulted in anaesthetic induction and lateral recumbency within 1 minute without any adverse effects. The physiological changes observed after drug administration remained within biologically acceptable limits. In conclusion, the combination of ketamine/xylazine provided anaesthetic induction, muscle relaxation, and analgesia sufficient for emulsified isoflurane intravenous anaesthesia. There were no adverse events in the experimental animals. This finding supports the use of emulsified isoflurane following ketamine/xylazine premedication in pigs.


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