Category Archives: High Altitude Training & Fitness

What are the challenges and benefits of recreation and training in a high altitude environment? How does it affect your body’s physiology? What are the inherent risks?

Acclimation, Altitude Science, Asthma, Athletic Training, Child Growth & Development, Doc Talk, Exposure, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Medicine, Mountaineering

Doc Talk: Physician Altitude Experts on High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)

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One of our students recently came across a comprehensive publication on high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) on reputable point-of-care clinical resource UpToDate.com1, citing Christine Ebert-Santos, MD, MPS, the founder of highaltitudehealth.com.

Emergency medicine physician at Aspen Valley Hospital and medical director for Mountain Rescue Aspen since 1997 Dr. Scott A. Gallagher2 and emergency physician and altitude research pioneer Dr. Peter Hackett3 introduce the resource warning, “Anyone who travels to high altitude, whether a recreational hiker, skier, mountain climber, soldier, or worker, is at risk of developing high-altitude illness.”

Ebert-Santos’s (known affectionately to her patients and mountain community as “Dr. Chris”) own research is referenced in the article’s discussion of epidemiology and risk factors noting an additional category of HAPE among “children living at altitude who develop pulmonary edema with respiratory infection but without change in altitude,”4 whereas the two other recognized categories (classic HAPE and re-entry HAPE) typically happen in response to a change in altitude.

The article continues with figures illustrating how ascending too quickly or too much can dramatically increase risk: “HAPE generally occurs above 2500 meters (8000 feet) and is uncommon below 3000 meters (10,000 feet) … The risk depends upon individual susceptibility, altitude attained, rate of ascent, and time spent at high altitude. in those without a history of HAPE, the incidence is 0.2 percent with ascent to 4500 meters (14,800 feet) over four days but 6 percept when ascent occurs over one to two days. In those with a history of HAPE, recurrence is 60 percent with an ascent to 4500 meters over two days. At 5500 meters (18,000 feet), the incidence ranges between 2 and 15 percent, again depending upon rate of ascent.”

Dr. Chris discusses her experience treating her pediatric patients at high altitude in more depth in an interview with pediatric emergency medicine physician Dr. Alison Brent from Colorado Children’s Hospital for the podcast Charting Pediatrics.

Dr. Gallagher and Dr. Hackett’s article is available on UpToDate with a subscription.

References

  1. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/high-altitude-pulmonary-edema?source=autocomplete&index=0~1&search=HAPE ↩︎
  2. https://www.aspenhospital.org/people/scott-a-gallagher-md/ ↩︎
  3. https://www.highaltitudedoctor.org/dr-peter-hackett ↩︎
  4. Ebert-Santos, C. High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema in Mountain Community Residents. High Alt Med Biol 2017; 18:278. ↩︎
Acclimation, Altitude Science, Athletic Training, Backpacking, Child Growth & Development, Doc Talk, Exposure, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Medicine, Mountaineering

Interview with Dr. Christine Ebert-Santos on High Altitude Pulmonary Edema

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by Cody Jones, Summit Daily News

“‘The first sign is usually a cough,’ Ebert-Santos said. ‘Followed by shortness of breath with any effort — even just walking — and fatigue. You just want to lie on the couch.’

If left untreated the early warning signs of high altitude pulmonary edema can rapidly progress into having fluid build up in the lungs, which will then lead to a patient’s oxygen saturation levels rapidly decreasing. If the individual does not seek treatment quickly, the condition can be fatal.”

Read the whole article here.

Acclimation, Altitude Science, Athletic Training, Backcountry, Backpacking, Child Growth & Development, Exposure, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Hyperbaric Therapy, Medicine, Mountaineering, Sleep at Altitude

What is Acute Mountain Sickness?

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Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a condition that can occur when individuals ascend to high altitudes rapidly, typically above 2,500 meters (8,200 feet). The symptoms of AMS are due to the body’s struggle to adapt to the decreased oxygen levels at higher elevations. More specifically, the symptoms are caused by cerebral vasodilation that occurs in response to hypoxia, in an attempt to maintain cerebral perfusion.1

The typical symptoms of AMS include headache, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and fatigue. In children the symptoms are less specific including increased fussiness, crying, poor feeding, disrupted sleep, and vomiting. Symptom onset is usually 6-12 hours after arrival to altitude but this can vary.

AMS affects children, adults, males and females equally, with a slight increased incidence in females. It is difficult to believe, but physical fitness does not offer protection against AMS. However, people who are obese, live at low elevation, or undergo intense activities upon arrival to elevation are at increased risk.1

Treatments for Acute Mountain Sickness

Descending

Descending and decreasing altitude is a vital treatment for people with severe symptoms of AMS. By decreasing altitude there will be more oxygen in the air and symptoms will not be as severe..2 

Oxygen

Since the main cause of AMS is hypoxia, oxygen supplementation is an effective treatment when descent is not wanted or possible. Supplemental oxygen even at .5L to 1L per hour can be effective in reducing symptoms.1  It can be prescribed for short periods of time or to be used only during sleep  In the central Colorado Rockies, this may be a practical solution for “out of towners” who have traveled up to the town of Leadville (10,158’/3096m) for vacation, but in an austere environment supplemental oxygen may not be a reasonable treatment option. There should be symptomatic improvement within one hour.

Acetazolamide

Acetazolamide is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor which causes increased secretion of sodium, potassium, bicarb, and water. This mechanism of actions lends beneficial to the treatment of AMS because it decreases the carbonic anhydrase in the brain. 3There is evidence to support the use of acetazolamide in the prevention of AMS, but minimal evidence pointing towards it’s role in treatment. Dosing is inconsistent but is usually prescribed at 125-250mg BID.

Hyperbaric Therapy

Many people consider hyperbaric chambers to be large structures in hospitals, however there are portable and lightweight hyperbaric chambers that can be used in austere environments or during expeditions. The mechanism of action of hyperbaric therapy is a simulated decrease in elevation, of approximately 2500 meters. These chambers will remove symptoms within approximately one hour of use but symptoms are likely to return. They are useful in the field but not frequently required in a hospital setting.1

Lynde Tucker is a third year medical student who grew up in Lake Tahoe California, and moved to Colorado for medical school. She is grateful for the opportunity to be back living in the mountains and working in a mountain community.

References

  1. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/acute-mountain-sickness-and-high-altitude-cerebral-edema?search=acute%20mountain%20sickness&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~15&usage_type=default&display_rank=1#H35
  2. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15111-altitude-sickness
  3. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/acetazolamide-drug-information?search=acetazolamide%20altitude&source=search_result&selectedTitle=2~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=2#F129759
Acclimation, Altitude Science, Athletic Training, Exposure, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Hyperbaric Therapy, Sleep at Altitude, Technology

High Altitude Sleep Disorders … A Thing of the Past?

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The fundamentals of vitality include food, water, air, shelter, and sleep. Sleep, though often underappreciated, can influence our physical and mental  health,  complex and easily impacted by outside factors. Living at a  high altitude may be wonderful but what is gained in beauty and adventure, is compromised with  reduced quality sleep. With increasing elevation comes more nighttime awakenings,  brief arousals, nocturnal hypoxemia, and periodic breathing. Light  sleep increases and slow-wave and REM sleep decrease.

The current gold standard for diagnosis of suspected sleep disorders includes polysomnography:  seven or more streams of data at a hospital or sleep center. The SleepImage  System allows for more flexibility with children, adolescents, and adults. Currently,  Dr. Chris Ebert-Santos of Ebert Family Clinic in Frisco, Colorado, USA (9000′) is using this technology primarily to assess some of the most common  forms of Sleep Breathing Disorders and secondly, to analyze the percentage of oxygen  desaturation of her patients while in their homes. 

The SleepImage System measures several variables that construct a summary for each  individual. Sleep quality is generated using Sleep Quality Index (SQI) biomarkers. Pathology  markers measure sleep duration, efficiency, and latency. Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are assessed together as Sleep Apnea Hypoxia Index (sAHI). Periodic and fragmented sleep pathology are reported and can be used to assess disease  management long-term. 

Recently, the clinic analyzed Patient X’s sleeping patterns without and with  supplemental oxygen. The theory: adding a steady flow of oxygen to the  nightly sleep regimen reduced the total amount of time desaturating and severity of sleep  breathing disorders. On the night preceding treatment, Patient X experienced an SQI of 17  (expected >55) and efficiency at 95% (expected >85%) for overall sleep quality. Sleep  opportunity demonstrated a 0h:02m latency (expected <30m), and duration of 5h:47m (expected  7-9h); sAHI was marked as severe for both 4% and 3% desaturation with values at 34 and 61,  respectively (severe= >30.0 in adults). Fragmented sleep was at 55% (expected <15%) and  periodicity at 22% (expected <2%). Lastly, Patient X spent 25% of his night’s sleep under 90%  SpO2, 18% under 88% Spo2, and 4% under 80% SpO2. Ideally, a healthy night’s sleep should  aim to remain above 90% SpO2 for the majority of the time in bed. 

When oxygen supplementation was introduced, improvements were observed. Sleep quality  showed a slight change, SQI increased to 31 (previously 17, expected >55), and efficiency  decreased to 87% (previously 95%; expected >85%) while remaining at a target value. Sleep  opportunity showed a slight increase during latency to 0h:12m while remaining within the  expected value of <30mins; duration jumped to 8h:14m but that could be attributed to an early  bedtime. Fragmented sleep remained in the severe range but decreased by 5%; periodicity improved to 0%, removing it from both the severe and moderate range. The most notable  improvement was observed with sAHI, both the 3% and 4% desaturation categories improved to the moderate range with values of 9 and 14, respectively. Time under 90% SpO2 also improved  to only 4% throughout the night and 0% below 88% SpO2. 

Since data is collected while patients sleep, skewed results from the placebo effect can be  reduced or eliminated. Increased duration could be attributed to longer time in bed, as mentioned  above, and should be examined more in-depth longitudinally. Latency for sleep increased with  oxygen treatment but that could be attributed to discomfort from the nasal cannula or greater  tiredness one day over the other. Similarly, latency should be examined longitudinally.

The results seen with this patient are common in our population.  Many people report they slept significantly better their first night on oxygen. Many patients studied on and off oxygen show the same dramatic decrease in their sleep apnea index. The gold standard for treating sleep apnea involves a mask to increase the pressure in the airway and prevent the collapse and narrowing that occurs during relaxation and sleep.  Does the supplemental 2 liters per minute of oxygen cause enough increased airway pressure to prevent airway narrowing? Supplemental oxygen would not be considered for an intervention or treatment in other locations where sleep studies are conducted because they are not usually showing significant hypoxia. Does the improvement in oxygen, even if it is the difference between oxygen saturations in the high 80’s and low 90’s increasing to the mid 90’s affect the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in a way that changes the incidence of apnea and drive to breathe during sleep?

Long-term, this easy-to-use SleepImage System can assess sleep disorders  across all age groups and contribute to long-term management for many people living at altitude. Oxygen, a simple intervention that is widely available and relatively inexpensive, requiring no special visits to fit and adjust, has the potential to  improve symptoms and sleep greatly. 

References

  • Introduction to SleepImage https://sleepimage.com/wp-content/uploads/Introduction-to-SleepImage.pdf
  • Diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in adult https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5714700/
  • Sleep and Breathing at High Altitude https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11898114/#:~:text=Sleep%20at%20high%20altitude%2 0is,REM%20sleep%20have%20been%20demonstrated.measure

Ashley Cevallos is a second-year Physician Assistant student at Red Rocks Community College in Arvada, CO. She received her undergraduate degree from  University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Before PA school, she worked as a vestibular technician and research coordinator for Johns Hopkins department of Otolaryngology. She was born in Ecuador and raised in Maryland. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, yoga, discovering new plants/animals and picnics. 

Acclimation, Altitude Science, Athletic Training, Exposure, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Hyperbaric Therapy, Uncategorized, Wildlife

Of Mice & Men at Altitude: This Podcast Will Kill You, Episode 115 “Altitude Sickness: Balloons, though?’

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This comprehensive review of the biology, history and physiology of high elevation starts with a fatal hot air balloon ride that happened in 1875. The passengers went past 8,000 meters, or over 26,000 feet and lost consciousness. The balloon failed and fell to the ground but not until after the altitude related hypoxia killed two out of the three passengers. Currently the legal limit in many parts of the world for how high a hot air balloon can fly is around 3,000 feet.

The pressure the atmosphere exerts on our bodies, the barometric pressure, that is the pressure of all gasses including oxygen, decreases as we go higher in altitude. As seen in the graph below, the higher you go, the less barometric pressure. This leads to a decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen. The percentage of air that contains oxygen is 21% at any height. However, the oxygen molecules are less dense higher up so with every breath our bloodstream gets less oxygen which is called hypoxemia. Our tissues then get less oxygen as well which is called hypoxia.

Our bodies go through a process called acclimatization to help us adjust to these changes at altitude. The first change we see is increased ventilation. The decrease in oxygen stimulates chemoreceptors in our aorta and carotid which then regulate the depth and rate of our breathing, making our breaths deeper and faster to try and get more oxygen in. This involuntary action is called the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR). There is an inverse relationship between carbon dioxide and oxygen in the alveoli of our lungs. Since we breathe deeper and faster at altitude we breathe out more carbon dioxide, hence increasing the partial pressure of oxygen. Discussions about carbon dioxide, how it affects the kidneys, what happens to hemoglobin, cardiac output, are very helpful for a deeper understanding of what happens in the body at altitude.

There are three major illnesses that can occur when our bodies do not go through acclimatization properly: acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). AMS is the most common. It is seen within 4-12 hours of ascending to altitudes higher than 2500 meters. A headache is needed to diagnose AMS in most scoring systems used for diagnosis, other symptoms include GI symptoms, dizziness, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. HACE is a progression of these symptoms. It is dangerous since as the name implies it is cerebral edema or swelling. There may be signs of altered mental status, ataxia, and can progress to coma and death within 24 hours. According to the blog there is not much understanding/consensus of which part of the acclimatization process goes wrong to cause these potentially fatal  outcomes, nor is there a clear answer about whether you can have one without the other. The onset of HAPE is slower, occurring between 1-5 days, rarely after a week. There are more pulmonary symptoms as the name suggests such as excessive shortness of breath, chest tightness, cough, sputum production. The podcast discusses in detail theories about the causes of HAPE.

The history of altitude sickness goes back to Ancient Chinese, Greek and Roman medical texts. “The ancients also observed that the rarity of the air on the summit of Olympus was such that those who ascended it were obligated to carry sponges moistened with vinegar and water and to apply them now and then to their nostrils as the air was not dense enough for their respiration.” This suggested they believed there was no water vapor in the air at high altitudes making it difficult to breathe. Some other texts mentioned “headache mountains” suggesting the naming of mountains based on side effects they experienced at these high altitudes.

The podcast hosts reviewed landmark experiments showing the effects of hypoxia on people and animals. Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke’s experiments using an air pump to investigate an animal’s response to different air pressures. Results showed that survival was shortened at lower pressures. Hook also created a decompression chamber so humans could test low pressure effects. He personally sat in there for 15 minutes at 570 torr, the equivalent of 7,800 ft (2400 m), and experienced some hearing loss. Anton Lavoisier performed another experiment, he compared blood that passed through the lungs with fresh air with venous blood. Freshly ventilated blood was bright red and venous blood was darker red, suggesting something changes in our blood when having contact with fresh air. Another scientist, Mayow, put a mouse on a stool inside of a bowl of water then covered it with a glass bell, creating a sealed environment. The same thing was done with a candle.

Results were that the water levels inside the bell rose as the animal breathed or as the candle burned, suggesting the mouse or the flame was consuming some part of the air which the water came in to fill. He demonstrated there must be at least two different components in air, one of them being necessary for both animal respiration and combustion. Later on he also suggested this “component” is taken up by the lungs and passed into the blood where it is involved during heat production and muscle movement, explaining why breathing increases during exercise, as we need more of this substance in the air to move.

Mountaineering and hot air balloons led to further understanding during the 1700 and 1800s. Paul Bert used animals in hypobaric chambers, simulating the low pressure of high altitude. He found that illness and death always occurred at a certain level of blood oxygen. The same thing happened when air pressure was kept at sea level but the overall oxygen concentration was lowered. Bert also suspected that people and animals at high altitude produce more red blood cells for increased oxygen absorption. Now we know this is true. Plasma volume drops 15-25% which causes a rise in the concentration of hemoglobin. This occurs within around 1-2 days of ascent to altitude. This triggers erythropoietin which stimulates red blood cell production. However, this occurs over days or weeks. So if you are at high altitude for less time your body will not get to this step. (Read “Red Flags At Altitude blog about lab values seen in the patient portal).

To understand altitude effects many researchers now study small animals.  The highest mammal is the yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, at 21,000 ft, studied by Jay Storz and colleagues. North American deer mice are the only mammals above tree line in the Rocky Mountains.  University of Denver Assistant Professor of Biology Jon Velotta does studies comparing these high dwellers to their lower altitude cousins. With colleagues Catie Ivy andGraham Scott they were able to show that the breathing rate, red blood cells and hemoglobin increase proportionately to decreasing partial pressures of oxygen.

Anyone interested in the nitty gritty of altitude will learn from this podcast, as well as many other medical topics covered by Colorado-based hosts Erin Allmann Updike MD, PhD and epidemiologist and Erin Welsh PhD disease ecologist and epidemiologist.  Each podcast is accompanied by original recipes for a themed cocktail and nonalcoholic drink.

Claudia Ismerai Reyes is a PA student at Red Rocks Community College in Arvada, Colorado. She grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and went to Arizona State University to get her bachelor’s degree in biology. The first in her family to graduate college. She moved to Colorado a little over five years ago and worked as a CNA at Denver Health for over two years before getting into PA school. In her free time, she likes to watch movies with her husband, trying new places to eat, or playing board games at home. 

Accessibility, Acclimation, Altitude Science, Asthma, Athletic Training, Backpacking, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Sleep at Altitude

Living With High Altitude Pulmonary Hypertension: An Interview with Karen Terrell

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by Jennifer Wolfe, NP-S

During my last week of a clinical rotation at Ebert Family Clinic in Frisco, Colorado, at 9000 feet, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview high altitude resident Karen Terrell with physician Dr. Chris Ebert-Santos.  During this time, we were able to discuss high altitude pulmonary hypertension, also known as NAPH. This is a condition that Karen has been living with since 2015.  NAPH is condition that can affect people that live above 8,200 feet, more than 140 million people live at this altitude worldwide, including the population of Summit County, where the town of Frisco, Colorado is. Pulmonary hypertension is a group of disorders that will typically be diagnosed during a heart catheterization measuring the mean arterial pressure of the right side of the heart.  These disorders are broken down into five groups. High altitude pulmonary hypertension is in group three. The primary symptoms that people first notice is extreme fatigue, difficulty getting air upon exertion, and difficulty engaging in their normal exercise routines.

How long have you lived in Summit County [Colorado], and where did you move from originally?

Karen: I grew up in Nebraska, I moved to New York City as soon as I was old enough to leave home.  I went to Boulder for school, and then moved to Denver for work.  I went to an Outward-Bound Experience, and I fell in love with this area.  I have lived in Summit County over 37 years. My kids were born and raised here; they are now in their 30s.

What are some of the things that you love to do in area?

Karen: I downhill ski, I uphill ski, and I cross country ski.  Mountain biking is my passion. I downhill bike, that is where you take the gondola to the top of the mountain and then ride your bike down.

When did you start to have symptoms?

Karen: 2015

What were the symptoms that you noticed first?

Karen: Extreme fatigue and erratic pulse, with or without exertion.  By the end of a run, I would be so exhausted that I was practically crawling home.

Do have to go on oxygen at any point?

Karen: In 2018 I started using oxygen at night. I still use oxygen at night.  In 2020 I started riding and skiing with portable oxygen. When my oxygen columns fail, so do I. It was also during this time I began to work on nasal breathing night and day.  I have been doing research on the importance of nasal breathing and retraining the body on how to take in oxygen.  Practicing nasal breathing is especially important when you are using a nasal cannula to get oxygen when you are being active.

An image of the OxyGo FIT portable oxygen concentrator with specifications.
https://oxygo.life/oxygo-fit

Dr. Chris Ebert-Santos:  The standard is “if you’re 50 and you’ve lived here 10 years and you want to live here for another 10 years you should be sleeping on oxygen.”

Between 2015 and 2018 did you have any other symptoms or worsening concerns?

Karen: In 2017 I applied for life insurance.  I was denied as I had what I now know is chronic proteinuria. The nephrologist was perplexed as to why someone who is as active as I am and takes no medication is having this condition.  The insurance company essentially told me that they would not touch me with a 10-foot pole.  This was the “canary in the mine” that made me think something was not right. In 2018, I had a cardiac ablation. The cardiac ablation corrected the erratic heart rate and relieved my extreme fatigue. However, it did nothing for my oxygen saturation.

You mentioned in 2020 that you started to ski and ride your bike with portable oxygen.  Did something happen in 2020, besides COVID?

Karen: You know, with everything that I have going on health wise I have been so cautious that I have not ever had COVID. In 2020, I was at an office visit with my PA. I mentioned that biking and skiing at higher elevation with exertion, that I felt flattened and near-dead.  My pulse oximeter showed oxygen saturation of low 70’s. My PA freaked out and thought I had Pulmonary Hypertension (as opposed to HAPH) and sent me to a Denver Pulmonary specialist.

What did the pulmonary specialist tell you?

Karen: When I went to the pulmonary specialist, they said my oxygen numbers were fine at Denver’s elevation. The Pulmonologist advised moving to lower elevation but said there is no knowing how low until I experiment.  I have lived in Summit County and raised my children here; my children still live here.  Moving was not an option. I started riding and skiing with portable oxygen. When 02 columns fail, so do I. I do have periodic episodes of extreme joint pain resulting from excessive stress/time at desk (10-hr days).  However, I try to eliminate the pain by remaining active using oxygen when I need it. If I don’t use oxygen to sleep, I feel half dead the next day and it is difficult to wake up the next day.  I worry about the long-term effects of the hypoxia, however I continue to monitor.  I am hoping to see more research done in the area of high-altitude pulmonary hypertension. 

Jennifer Wolfe is in her final semester of Nurse Practitioner school at Georgetown University. She was born and raised in Missouri and attended The University of Missouri where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. After attending Mizzou she married her husband who was active duty in the US Navy. They traveled to many bases and had two boys before calling Denver their home in 2011.  Jennifer received her BSN from Denver College of Nursing. Jennifer has spent 7 years as a nurse in the emergency department of several level II trauma centers before starting at Georgetown as a part of the Family Nurse Practitioner program.  Jennifer enjoys spending her free time with her family and their three dogs.  

Acclimation, Altitude Science, Athletic Training, Child Growth & Development, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Neonatal

Maternal Exercise and Its Effect on the Development of High-Altitude Pulmonary Hypertension in Children

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by Julia Wu, PA-S

Every newborn I have managed while rotating at Ebert Family Clinic in Frisco, Colorado at 9000′ has needed oxygen supplementation. It is known that at high altitudes, there is a lower oxygen concentration in the air, which poses challenges to our bodies. What exactly happens, and what are the consequences of chronic high-altitude exposure? There are approximately 140 million people that live at high altitudes, defined as at least 2500 meters above sea level, who are affected by chronic hypoxic conditions.1 In this article, I will focus on how hypoxia — low levels of oxygen in the blood — affects pregnant women, alters fetal to newborn transition and development, and whether cardiorespiratory exercise by mothers during pregnancy can prevent diseases such as high-altitude pulmonary hypertension (HAPH) development in offspring.  

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is abnormally high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. PH is classified into 5 groups based on the cause. High-altitude pulmonary hypertension (HAPH) is Group III PH and defined as mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) ≥25 mm Hg. Chronic high-altitude hypoxia can lead to the development of HAPH, which has adverse effects on the heart from right ventricular wall thickening to reduced cardiac output, and eventual right heart failure and death. HAPH can occur in utero, so it’s imperative to understand how hypoxia affects mothers and their fetuses during and after birth.2

During pregnancy, the fetus doesn’t breathe air and the lungs are not used. The fetus receives all its oxygen and nutrition needs from the mother’s blood, which flows through the blood vessels in the umbilical cord to the placenta and then to the baby.3 Circulating blood bypasses the lungs by flowing in different pathways through openings called shunts that close at birth to allow for adult circulation. In utero, the baby’s lungs fill with a special fluid that helps the lungs grow.4 The fluid in the lungs, in combination with naturally thicker pulmonary vascular and pulmonary vessel vasoconstriction from low PO2, causes higher vascular resistance in pulmonary circulation that allows for the diversion of blood away from the lungs through the shunts.2 At low altitudes, in the first few days after birth, the high PAP in the lungs drops. The sharp drop in PAP is due to “expansion of the lungs, pulmonary vasodilation from higher PO2, a gradual receding of fluid, a thinning of pulmonary vascular smooth muscle, and… closing of the [shunts]”. This process is known as cardiopulmonary transition. However, at altitude, perinatal hypoxia negatively affects cardiopulmonary transition. The elevated pressures in the pulmonary arteries and vascular resistance persist into early childhood delaying cardiopulmonary transition, which can have developmental consequences such as HAPH and right heart failure, as discussed.

It was discovered that cardiopulmonary transition delay is linked to a high-altitude hypoxia-induced proinflammatory state within the pulmonary vasculature that leads to pulmonary artery remodeling and HAPH. Hypoxia activates or upregulates transcription factor, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NK-kB), that signals for inflammatory mediators such as hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF). HIF-1a inhibits mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). mTOR signaling has an important role in cell metabolism, cell proliferation, and survival, thus inhibiting mTOR prevents “non-proliferative branching and elongation of conducting airways and fluid removal from the lungs,” which contributes to increases in pulmonary vascular resistance and lung development during the cardiopulmonary transition and the onset of newborn gas exchange. 2,5 HIF also contributes to the uncontrolled proliferation and resistance to apoptosis of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) which is also a crucial contributing factor to pulmonary vessel wall thickening, pulmonary vascular remodeling, and vascular resistance. 5 Metabolic studies showed that chronic hypoxia not only increased the expression of these proinflammatory molecules and mediators but also reduced anti-inflammatory products like omega-3 fatty acids.2

Studies have shown that cardiorespiratory exercise reduces proinflammatory markers and increases anti-inflammatory stimulus in healthy and HAPH populations.2 However, exercise training is not sufficient to reverse PAH, so we need to prevent HAPH from developing in utero with maternal exercise.  The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends resistance training twice a week and moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory training daily for a total of 150 minutes a week. Studies showed that pregnant women who followed this recommendation had a 25% reduced risk of developing conditions like gestational diabetes and hypertension that contribute to compromised uterine blood flow and fetal hypoxic conditions. At low altitudes, exercise by pregnant mothers leads to benefits such as decreased fat mass, leptin, oxidative stress, pulmonary valve defects, aortic valve defects and inflammation, and increased neurogenesis in the fetus. Some animal studies at high altitudes showed that offspring of physically active pregnant rodents also received similar benefits from maternal exercise. The offspring were protected against proinflammatory stressors evidenced by low levels of inflammatory mediators, which protected them against the inflammatory processes that drive pulmonary artery remodeling and pressures that lead to HAPH. Further animal studies should be conducted to further explore the possibilities that maternal exercise can counteract the inflammatory changes and prevent HAPH development in fetus and newborns.

Resources

  1. Mirrakhimov AE, Strohl KP. High-altitude Pulmonary Hypertension: an Update on Disease Pathogenesis and Management. The Open Cardiovascular Medicine Journal. 2016; 10: 19-27. doi: 10.2174/1874192401610010019
  2. Leslie E, Gibson AL, Gonzalez Bosc LV, Mermier C, Wilson SM, Deyhle MR. Can Maternal Exercise Prevent High-Altitude Pulmonary Hypertension in Children?. High Altitude Medicine & Biology. 2023; 24: 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1089/ham.2022.0098
  3. 2023. Blood Circulation in the Fetus and Newborn. Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=blood-circulation-in-the-fetus-and-newborn-90-P02362
  4. 2023. Transient tachypnea- newborn. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/diseases-conditions/transient-tachypnea-newborn#:~:text=As%20the%20baby%20grows%20in,start%20removing%20or%20reabsorbing%20it.
  5. He S, Zhu T, Fang Z. The Role and Regulation of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell in Pulmonary Hypertension. International Journal of Hypertension. 2020; 2020: 1478291. doi: 10.1155/2020/1478291
Acclimation, Altitude Science, Athletic Training, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness

Training Student Athletes at Altitude: An Interview with Hurdles Coach, Jay Peltier

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article by Caitlin De Castro, PA-S

Several students from Summit High School’s Track & Field team attended the Colorado State Track and Field Championships in Lakewood in May, where they competed with top runners across the state. The boys team placed 20th out of 39 teams, and the girls team tied for 9th place out of 40 teams in Class 4A rankings. Throughout the season, many students set new personal records and broke previous school records. 

I had the pleasure of speaking with Summit High School hurdles coach, Jay Peltier, about training young athletes in high altitude. Jay has coached Track & Field for 15 years and has even helped lead some high schools to win state titles. He has trained student athletes in cities close to sea level as well as ones in higher elevation, like Colorado Springs. This is his second season coaching in Summit County. 

Exercising at high altitude can be a challenge due to the decreased oxygen concentration at higher elevations. Because of this, there is reduced oxygen availability to muscles, causing fatigue to occur sooner at lower working rates. Given his experiences coaching at different altitudes, I asked Jay how he has adjusted his training to being at 9,000 ft. He notes that with elevation as high as this, it’s difficult to train hard for long periods. His workouts at high altitude include longer rest times between reps and less volume per workout. For example, one of Jay’s staple workouts for sprinters when he was training at lower elevation included running twelve 200 meter sprints, totaling up to a volume of 2,400 meters. At high altitude, he would decrease the volume to about 1,800 meters. 

I also asked Jay about how competing at track meets at a lower elevation affects athletes that have been living and training at high altitude. Generally, athletes that run events greater than 400 meters should be faster running at lower elevations because there is increased oxygen availability. This is because distance running is a form of aerobic exercise in which the body uses oxygen as the primary source for energy. Sprinters, on the other hand, may not see the same benefit competing at lower elevation because sprinting is a form of anaerobic exercise, where the body relies on burning carbohydrates for energy. Despite this, Jay recognizes that there are many other variables that can affect these high altitude athletes competing at lower elevations, including weather. Jay notes that competing in lower areas, like Denver or Grand Junction, can also be 20 degrees warmer compared to Summit County. Increased temperatures can lead to exhaustion faster, especially for distance runners.  

Jay and his fellow coaches try to tell their athletes after every practice to “Eat right. Sleep right. Drink right.” in order to maximize their workout. This includes getting a good balance of carbs, protein, fruits, and vegetables in their diet to properly fuel their body. He recommends his athletes get at least 9 hours of sleep at night. He notes that sleep deprivation can significantly impact how one trains, especially at altitude. Lastly, he emphasizes to his athletes the importance of staying hydrated. While this is essential for all athletes, the risk of dehydration is higher at altitude. He recommends they drink half their bodyweight in ounces, plus an extra 10 ounces for being at elevation.

Resources

Jones, Cody. “State Champion Again: Summit’s Ella Hagen Wins 1,600-Meter State Title at Final Day of the Colorado State Track and Field Meet.” SummitDaily.Com, 24 May 2023, www.summitdaily.com/news/state-champion-again-summits-ella-hagen-wins-1600-meter-state-title-at-final-day-of-the-colorado-state-track-and-field-meet/. 

Mancera-Soto, Erica M., et al. “Effect of Hypobaric Hypoxia on Hematological Parameters Related to Oxygen Transport, Blood Volume and Oxygen Consumption in Adolescent Endurance-Training Athletes.” Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, vol. 20, no. 4, 18 Oct. 2022, pp. 391–399, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2022.10.003. 

Acclimation, Altitude Science, Athletic Training, Backpacking, Exposure, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Mountaineering

Mountain People Can Still Get Mountain Sickness: HL-HAPE, a Fourth Type of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema

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There are three types of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) recognized in visitors and people living at high altitudes. These include classic HAPE (C-HAPE), which involves an individual that lives at low altitude traveling to high altitude. Re-entry HAPE (RE-HAPE)  is seen in an individual that lives at high altitude who travels to low altitude and then returns to high altitude. And high-altitude resident pulmonary edema (HARPE) which occurs in an individual that lives at high altitude and does not change altitude (Ebert-Santos, Wiley). While these have been extensively studied and are subtypes that people are warned of, a fourth unexpected type of HAPE has been recently described by pediatric pulmonologist Santiago Ucros in Bogota, Columbia at the Universidad de los Andes. (Ucros)

Highlanders HAPE (HL-HAPE) occurs in people that live at high altitude who then travel to higher altitudes. Though most people who live at high altitudes for long periods of time assume they are immune to HAPE, the recognition of HL-HAPE shows this is not the case. One man had a run-in with HL-HAPE during his long-awaited trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

A man wearing a neck gator under a grey baseball cap and dressed in cold-weather jacket and pants sits on a rock next to a tall giant groundsel plant with cushions of dead leaves puffing up heads of light-green leaves before the sloping of the mountain down into a valley with a white cloud floating above it.

A resident of Summit County, Colorado, Jonathan Huffman set out to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with his wife Katie when he was 37 years old. He is originally from Texas, but has been living in Breckenridge, Colorado, elevation 9,600 ft, for 15 years. In preparation for the climb, he spent the summer hiking multiple fourteen thousand foot peaks in Colorado, trail running at 9,000-12,000 ft, and mountain biking. 

Two people stand smiling toward the camera with an arm around each other, dressed warmly in long pants, thick jackets and hats, one holding a water bottle, standing on an open field of high alpine shrubs with Mt. Kilimanjaro illuminated in the pink light of the sun, streaked with long, narrow clouds in the background

The elevation of Mt. Kilimanjaro is 19,341 feet and the summit generally takes each group anywhere from 5 to 9 days, depending on the route taken. In September, Jonathan and Katie traveled to Tanzania where they spent two days adjusting to jet lag and preparing for their climb. They had chosen to follow the Lemosho Route which is 42 miles long with an elevation gain of 16,000 to 17,000 feet. 

On the first day, Jonathan and his party started at the Lemosho trailhead (7,742 feet) and hiked up 9,498 feet to the first camp. He noticed that his throat felt dry and he found himself having to clear it often. He attributed this symptom to the dusty environment. 

On the second day, he felt as though his body was fighting the dust, which had found its way into his eyes, sinuses, and throat. He also felt extremely fatigued and stated that every action felt more difficult. Though he could tell his body was struggling to adapt, Jonathan continued to push forward with full force. He made it to the second camp at 11,500 feet. 

A group of orange and white panelled tents sit in the shade of a rocky mountain peak streaked with snow, illuminated in sun above the camp against a cloudless blue sky.

“Day three, we went from 11,500 feet to 13,800 feet,” Jonathan recounts. “After we arrived to this camp, our guides offered to allow us to take a break then hike even higher. This was [an] optional acclimatization test … but I actually skipped it. I was so tired when I got to camp on this day, I decided to just nap in the tent until dinner time.”

On the fourth day, Jonathan’s group hiked up an overpass to Lava Tower located at 15,190 feet. This was also an altitude test, and he passed. He stated that this was the highest he had ever climbed, but that he was beginning to feel more like his normal self. The group stopped for lunch at the tower, but he did not have much of an appetite. He ate the food anyways at the insistence of the guides. 

A sea of clouds illuminated in blues and soft pinks stretches out behind several tents pitched over a shaded, rocky mountain slope in the foreground.

“Then after lunch, we descended down to Barranco Camp [from 15,190 feet to 13,044 feet] and this is where I realized I had HAPE.”

As they were nearing the camp, he felt fluid building in his lungs that was easy to cough up. By the evening, however, he felt as though he was drowning and was unable to lay down. While the guides encouraged him to immediately hike down, he did not want to hike in the dark. He spent the night propped up on duffle bags or sitting in a kitchen chair, with his oxygen reaching as low as 67% at one point. 

Two people sit in the dark of a tent, one with an oxygen mask on and a red head lamp illuminating tin food containers and medical supplies in the foreground as he is administered oxygen.

In the morning, he received 30 minutes of oxygen treatment before beginning his 8-hour descent. His symptoms improved when he reached 6,500 feet. He was picked up in a rescue vehicle and received further treatment at a hospital in Moshi. While he made a full recovery, he stated that he still felt the effects of HAPE while exercising in Colorado at times, up to months after the experience. While Jonathan was only about 2 days away from the summit, he knew that turning back was the best choice. He plans to re-attempt the climb in a few years. 

Jonathan’s story serves as an important reminder to those living at altitude that HAPE can affect anyone. Jonathan’s wife Katie along with everyone else in the group also experienced mild symptoms of altitude sickness including headaches. Research still needs to be conducted on the cause and prevention of this condition in all types. While this shouldn’t stop hikers and climbers from climbing mountains, they should be aware of the signs and symptoms of HAPE, when to seek treatment, and the best ways to prevent it from occurring. 

A map of the Lemosho route as listed on the Ultimate Kilimanjaro guide site can be found here.

A group of people in bright colored pants, jackets and backpacks make their way down a red dirt trail surrounded by tall green grasses and trees extending over a white SUV with a red cross symbol on it in the background down the road.
A man in a beige baseball cap takes a selfie with three men in hats and jackets behind him smiling toward the camera with a white jeep labelled with a red cross in the background behind them.
Acclimation, Alcohol at Altitude, Altitude Science, Athletic Training, Backcountry, Backpacking, Child Growth & Development, Exposure, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Huts, Hyperbaric Therapy, Medicine, Mountaineering, Naturopathic Medicine, Sleep at Altitude, Summit Huts

HAFE: High-Altitude Flatus Expulsion

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Often, at high altitude we hear complaints of gas pain and increased flatus in our infant population. Parents often wonder, are we doing something wrong? Is my child reacting to breastmilk, or showing an intolerance to certain foods?  Actually there is another explanation for increased flatus and gas pain in the high-altitude region of Colorado. 

The term HAFE was coined by Dr. Paul Auerbach and Dr. York Miller and published in the Western Journal of Medicine in 1981. Their discovery began In the summer of 1980, when the two doctors were hiking in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado on a quest to summit three 14ers. During their ascent they noticed that something didn’t smell right! As the pair continued to emit noxious fumes, they began to put their scientific brains to work and discovered HAFE. The symptoms include an increase in frequency and volume of flatus, or in other terms an increase in toots! We all have familiarity in watching our bag of potato chips blow up when reaching altitude or our water bottle expanding as we head into the mountains. This reaction is due to a decrease in barometric pressure. Based on Boyle’s law, decreased barometric pressure causes the intestinal gas volume to expand, thus causing HAFE (Skinner & Rawal, 2019).

A graphic illustrating how Boyle's law works: the pressure of a gas increases as its volume decreases.

To my surprise, a gas bubble the size of a walnut in Denver, Colorado (5280 ft) would be the size of a grapefruit in the mountain region of Summit County, CO (8000+ ft)! Trapped gas is known to lead to discomfort and pain. The use of simethicone may have merit in mitigating the effects of HAFE. Simethicone works by changing the surface tension of gas bubbles, allowing easier elimination of gas. This medication, while benign, can be found over the counter and does not appear to be absorbed by the GI tract (Ingold, C. J., & Akhondi, H., 2022). 

While this phenomenon may not be as debilitating as high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), it deserves recognition, as it can cause a significant inconvenience and discomfort to those it inflicts. As the Radiolab podcast explained in their episode The Flight Before Christmas , expelled gas in a plane or car when driving up to the mountains can be embarrassing. While HAFE can be inconvenient, it is a benign condition and a matter of pressure changes rather than a disease or pathological process. We would love to talk more about HAFE at Ebert Family Clinic if you have any questions or concerns!

A bald eagle flies over a misty settled into the valley against the blue-green pine forest of a mountain.
A bald eagle flies toward its nest atop a bare lodgepole pine.

As always, stay happy, safe, and healthy 😊

Taylor Hollingsworth is finishing her final semester as a family nurse practitioner (FNP) student at Georgetown University. Originally from the east coast, Taylor plans to start her FNP career in North Carolina close to family. She has a passion for pediatric and family wellness and has worked as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse for 6 years! In her free time, Taylor loves to hike, fly fish, run, and spend time with her fiancé Logan. 

References

Auerbach, P. & Miller, Y. (1981). High altitude flatus expulsion. The Western Journal of Medicine, 134(2), 173-174.

Chemistry Learner. (2023). Boyle’s Law. https://www.chemistrylearner.com/boyles-law.html

Ingold, C. J., & Akhondi, H. (2022). Simethicone. StatPearls Publishing. 

McKnight, T. (2023). The Flight Before Christmas [Audio podcast]. Radiolab. https://radiolab.org/episodes/flight-christmas

Skinner, R. B., & Rawal, A. R. (2019). EMS flight barotrauma. StatPearls Publishing.