Pulmonary Function Parameters Changes at Different Altitudes in Healthy Athletes

• Main Authors: Vahid Ziaee, Reza Alizadeh, Ali Movafegh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2008-06-01
• Series: Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
• Subjects: PFT
• Online Access: https://ijaai.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijaai/article/view/203

Hypoxia and hypocapnia can cause broncho-constriction in human subjects, and this could have a bearing on performance at high altitude. The object of this study was to examine how pulmonary ventilatory functions during high-altitude trekking. This study is a cohort study on spirometric parameters at different altitudes. Fifty six healthy male volunteers from a university student population were enrolled in the study (ages 22.9±5.3 years). Pulmonary function was assessed with a Spirolab II in all participants before ascending at baseline (1150 meter), after ascending at different altitudes (2850, 4150 meter), and after descending at sea level during a 3-day trek in Sialan Mount. This study indicates that in an actual trek, ascending results in significant decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC). FVC significantly decreased with increasing altitude from baseline level and at the sea level it was significantly less than baseline level. Peak flow increased with increasing altitude from baseline (1150 m) to 2850 m and decreased with decreasing altitude (p