Dataset Information

Physiological variables associated with the development of acute mountain sickness at the South Pole.

ABSTRACT:

Unlabelled

Exposure to altitudes >2500 m can result in acute mountain sickness (AMS), a mild and usually self-limiting condition. Research has attempted to identify factors associated with developing AMS without controlling important factors related to the ascent or collecting a comprehensive set of variables.

Objectives

The Antarctic Study of Altitude Physiology (ASAP) investigated variables associated with the development of AMS in adults experiencing rapid passive transport to altitude by airplane.

Design

Our prospective observational trial collected data, including personal history, anthropometrics, vital signs, blood samples and pulmonary function, at sea level and at altitude. Statistical analysis utilised independent sample t tests to investigate between-group differences (p<0.05) and a forward, step-wise binary logisitic regression analysis was performed.

Participants

Of 248 eligible ASAP participants, those who did not use acetazolamide (N=98) were included in the present analysis.

Primary outcome measures

The diagnosis of AMS using the Lake Louise Symptom Score.

Results

Analysis of participants not using acetazolamide (n=90) found 30 participants developed AMS and 60 participants did not. Estimated plasma volume decreased significantly at altitude (p=0.025) in the AMS group as compared with the No AMS group while body weight did not change (p=0.125). Serum sodium (p=0.045) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (p=0.049) levels were higher in the No AMS group. A logistic regression analysis emphasised the contributions of LDL and eosinophil levels in the development of AMS.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the body water regulation and inflammation are key factors in AMS development when all other factors such as the level of physical exertion during ascent, the rate and magnitude of ascent and the use of acetazolamide are controlled.

SUBMITTER: Harrison MF

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3717461 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Physiological variables associated with the development of acute mountain sickness at the South Pole.

Harrison Michael F MF Anderson Paul P Miller Andrew A O'Malley Kathy K Richert Maile M Johnson Jacob J Johnson Bruce D BD

BMJ open 20130717 7

<h4>Unlabelled</h4>Exposure to altitudes >2500 m can result in acute mountain sickness (AMS), a mild and usually self-limiting condition. Research has attempted to identify factors associated with developing AMS without controlling important factors related to the ascent or collecting a comprehensive set of variables.<h4>Objectives</h4>The Antarctic Study of Altitude Physiology (ASAP) investigated variables associated with the development of AMS in adults experiencing rapid passive transport to ...[more]

PMID: 23869103

Similar Datasets

Project description:Individuals sojourning at high altitude (≥2,500m) often develop acute mountain sickness (AMS). However, substantial unexplained inter-individual variability in AMS severity exists. Untargeted metabolomics assays are increasingly used to identify novel biomarkers of susceptibility to illness, and to elucidate biological pathways linking environmental exposures to health outcomes. This study used untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics to identify urine metabolites associated with AMS severity during high altitude sojourn. Following a 21-day stay at sea level (SL; 55m), 17 healthy males were transported to high altitude (HA; 4,300m) for a 22-day sojourn. AMS symptoms measured twice daily during the first 5days at HA were used to dichotomize participants according to AMS severity: moderate/severe AMS (AMS; n=11) or no/mild AMS (NoAMS; n=6). Urine samples collected on SL day 12 and HA days 1 and 18 were analyzed using proton NMR tools and the data were subjected to multivariate analyses. The SL urinary metabolite profiles were significantly different (p≤0.05) between AMS vs. NoAMS individuals prior to high altitude exposure. Differentially expressed metabolites included elevated levels of creatine and acetylcarnitine, and decreased levels of hypoxanthine and taurine in the AMS vs. NoAMS group. In addition, the levels of two amino acid derivatives (4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate and N-methylhistidine) and two unidentified metabolites (doublet peaks at 3.33ppm and a singlet at 8.20ppm) were significantly different between groups at SL. By HA day 18, the differences in urinary metabolites between AMS and NoAMS participants had largely resolved. Pathway analysis of these differentially expressed metabolites indicated that they directly or indirectly play a role in energy metabolism. These observations suggest that alterations in energy metabolism before high altitude exposure may contribute to AMS susceptibility at altitude. If validated in larger cohorts, these markers could inform development of a non-invasive assay to screen individuals for AMS susceptibility prior to high altitude sojourn.

Dataset Information

Physiological variables associated with the development of acute mountain sickness at the South Pole.

Unlabelled

Objectives

Design

Participants

Primary outcome measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Physiological variables associated with the development of acute mountain sickness at the South Pole.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets