High Altitude Effects on Humans

Physiological responses to high altitude include hyperventilation, polycythemia, increased capillary density in muscle, and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction–increased intracellular oxidative enzymes.

The three altitude regions recognized by mountain medicine are high altitude (1,500–3,500 metres), very high altitude (3,500–5,500 metres), and extreme altitude (above 5,500 metres).

Medical problems associated with travel to high altitude regions range from mild symptoms of acute mountain sickness to potentially fatal conditions like high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE).

<p>As atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude, the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) also decreases, leading to altitude acclimatization in the body.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Tibetans and Andeans are two groups relatively well adapted to high altitude, but they display noticeably different phenotypes.</p> Signup and view all the answers