Decoded: Why Heart Function Is Reduced At High Altitude
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 IST
Do you experience reduced heart function at high altitudes?
Low amount of oxygen at mountain peaks decreases the volume of blood circulating around the body, and increases blood pressure in the lungs, resulting in reduced heart function at high altitudes, say researchers.
However, the researchers also found that while both these factors impact blood flow, it surprisingly does not impact the body's ability to exercise to its fullest extent.
The findings will be important for people who live, travel and exercise at high altitudes.
The research improves our understanding of how the human body adapts to high altitude areas and will help us make exploration and tourism of Earth's mountainous regions safer, and may also help facilitate exercise performance in a wide range of sporting events that take place at high altitude, said researchers led by Michael Stembridge, from the Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales, Britain
"We hope to apply the findings of this work to help improve the health and well-being of these populations by furthering our understanding of the condition and exploring therapeutic targets," he said.
Many people who visit high altitudes suffer from "Chronic Mountain Sickness", which occurs when there is lower oxygen pressure present. It results in shortness of breath, headache, and a fast heartbeat.
For the research, published in The Journal of Physiology, the team collected data of a small group on how the heart and pulmonary blood vessels adapt to life with less oxygen.
The researchers and participants conducted the study during two weeks at a remote research facility in California.
Furthermore, echocardiography was used to assess cardiac and pulmonary vascular function which is non-invasive and indirect.
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
Heart attacks, strokes and death square measure a lot of common in patients whose weight changes the foremost over four years. Losing and return weight rep...
Recently posted . 894 views . 34 min read
Did you know that one of the leaders in global fatalities is heart attack? Studies have proven that approximately half a million people in the US alone are hit by...
Recently posted . 839 views . 2 min read
Researchers have shown that a few minutes of stair climbing called the ‘stair snacking’ approach, at short intervals between work, can improve cardiovas...
Recently posted . 614 views . 1 min read
The risk of heart attack - or myocardial infarction - is particularly acute in older adults, said the report in the New England of Medicine.
Recently posted . 638 views . 1 min read
When it comes to parenting, everyone seems to have an opinion, and rightfully so, especially if you are yourself a parent. But what about controversial topics? Is t...
Recently posted . 1K views . 4 min read
Trending News & Articles
Lung cancer is usually not noticeable during the early stages. Most people are diagnosed when the disease is at an advanced stage. According to Cancer.org, it is ...
Recently posted . 7K views . 2 min read
The health benefits of wood apple include [1] relief from constipation, indigestion, peptic ulcer, piles, respiratory problems, diarrhea, and dysentery. It also b...
Recently posted . 4K views . 2 min read
Bael, also known as the “Wood Apple”, is a species native to India. The bael tree is considered to be sacred to the Hindus. A famous drink known as sh...
Recently posted . 4K views . 2 min read
Do you know what milia are? Milia is a skin condition which causes the appearance of small white hard bumps on the skin which usually appear on the face, neck or ch...
Recently posted . 4K views . 2 min read
More in Food & Health
Exercise can mitigate the genetic effects of obesity.
If you are obese and blaming your genes for it th...
Recently posted. 653 views . 2 min read
You’ve heard it from YouTube influencers and scientists alike: when you’re in the sun, you need to slather on sunscreen. While this is good advice for f...
Recently posted. 869 views . 3 min read
According to a recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, an intensive control of blood pressure in older people reduced the risk...
Recently posted. 797 views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 804 views
Recently posted . 798 views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views . 67 min read
Recently posted . 1K views . 199 min read
World Diabetes Day 2018: If you are not sure of protein-rich snacks that can consumed on a regular basis, here's a list to keep handy.
...
Recently posted. 958 views . 1 min read
The study was conducted with the aim of examining the effect of social media marketing of snack foods (healthy and unhealthy), via vloggers' Instagram pages, on...
Recently posted. 765 views . 1 min read