Project Details
Description
At altitudes above 2.500m, ventilation in healthy subjects commonly shows an oscillatory behavior with alternating periods of hyperventilation followed by apneas or hypopneas. This breathing pattern, called periodic breathing (PB), seems to prevail at altitudes above 5533m. Although PB has been extensively observed, there are still aspects regarding the adaptation to high altitude that remain unknown. To address the influence of altitude on the respiratory system during longer periods of time, nocturnal periodic breathing was monitored at a constant equivalent altitude of 3659m over the course of 12months.
Materials and methods
The investigation took place at the Concordia station, in the framework of the European Space Agency's Life Science campaign, during the 2012 winter over. 13 healthy male participants were monitored using a wireless polysomnography (BioRadio, Clevemed Inc.). None of them had significant medical antecedents. Data collection was programmed through the whole campaign with a periodicity of six weeks and one habituation night. All recordings were analyzed by a professional sleep technician.
Results
PB was present at a clinically significant level during the whole campaign (AHI=65.4±14.55). Over time, PB does not seem to show a clear trend, with subjects having both episodes of increasing and decreasing PB levels.
Conclusion
There seems to be a controversy regarding the acclimatization mechanism to hypobaric hypoxia and the quantification of PB during the adaptation. Previous studies have reported an increase of periodic breathing during acclimatization to hypoxia, whereas others reported decreases or even no changes. However, previous investigations have observed this process of adaptation only over several days to weeks. Our results show that adaptation of respiration to moderate altitude is a process that might last more than several months. Stable inter-individual differences suggest the existence of responders and non-responders.
Materials and methods
The investigation took place at the Concordia station, in the framework of the European Space Agency's Life Science campaign, during the 2012 winter over. 13 healthy male participants were monitored using a wireless polysomnography (BioRadio, Clevemed Inc.). None of them had significant medical antecedents. Data collection was programmed through the whole campaign with a periodicity of six weeks and one habituation night. All recordings were analyzed by a professional sleep technician.
Results
PB was present at a clinically significant level during the whole campaign (AHI=65.4±14.55). Over time, PB does not seem to show a clear trend, with subjects having both episodes of increasing and decreasing PB levels.
Conclusion
There seems to be a controversy regarding the acclimatization mechanism to hypobaric hypoxia and the quantification of PB during the adaptation. Previous studies have reported an increase of periodic breathing during acclimatization to hypoxia, whereas others reported decreases or even no changes. However, previous investigations have observed this process of adaptation only over several days to weeks. Our results show that adaptation of respiration to moderate altitude is a process that might last more than several months. Stable inter-individual differences suggest the existence of responders and non-responders.
| Acronym | AIIESA17 |
|---|---|
| Status | Finished |
| Effective start/end date | 1/12/10 → 31/12/13 |
Keywords
- Sportinjuries
- Training
- Muscular Strength
- Hypoxia
- Physiology
- Revalidation
- Exercise
Flemish discipline codes 2018-2023
- Basic sciences
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