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Global REACH 2018: Characterizing Acid-Base Balance Over 21 Days at 4,300 m in Lowlanders.
- Source :
-
High altitude medicine & biology [High Alt Med Biol] 2022 Jun; Vol. 23 (2), pp. 185-191. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Feb 28. - Publication Year :
- 2022
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Abstract
- Steele, Andrew R., Philip N. Ainslie, Rachel Stone, Kaitlyn Tymko, Courtney Tymko, Connor A. Howe, David MacLeod, James D. Anholm, Christopher Gasho, and Michael M. Tymko. Global REACH 2018: characterizing acid-base balance over 21 days at 4,300 m in lowlanders. High Alt Med Biol . 23:185-191, 2022. Introduction: High altitude exposure results in hyperventilatory-induced respiratory alkalosis, followed by metabolic compensation to return arterial blood pH (pHa) toward sea level values. However, previous work has limited sample sizes, short-term exposure, and pharmacological confounders (e.g., acetazolamide). The purpose of this investigation was to characterize acid-base balance after rapid ascent to high altitude (i.e., 4,300 m) in lowlanders. We hypothesized that despite rapid bicarbonate ([HCO <subscript>3</subscript> <superscript>-</superscript> ]) excretion during early acclimatization, partial respiratory alkalosis would still be apparent as reflected in elevations in pHa compared with sea level after 21 days of acclimatization to 4,300 m. Methods: In 16 (3 female) healthy volunteers not taking any medications, radial artery blood samples were collected and analyzed at sea level (150 m; Lima, Peru), and on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 after rapid automobile (∼8 hours) ascent to high altitude (4,300 m; Cerro de Pasco, Peru). Results and Discussion: Although reductions in [HCO <subscript>3</subscript> <superscript>-</superscript> ] occurred by day 3 ( p < 0.01), they remained stable thereafter and were insufficient to fully normalize pHa back to sea level values over the subsequent 21 days ( p < 0.01). These data indicate that only partial compensation for respiratory alkalosis persists throughout 21 days at 4,300 m.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1557-8682
- Volume :
- 23
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- High altitude medicine & biology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 35231184
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1089/ham.2021.0115