Ventilatory capacity among highland Bods: a possible adaptive mechanism at high altitude.
Ventilatory capacity (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume and maximal voluntary ventilation) among Highland Bods (3514 m altitude) was higher than in an ethnically similar population residing at a lower altitude in Kulu Valley (1500--2200 m). Increased ventilatory capacity appears to have developed among native highlanders as a consequence of a biological response to high altitude. Numerous factors such as low oxygen pressure, increased work-load and minimal air pollution may explain these findings.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D002648:Child; D005006:Ethnicity; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D008297:Male; D008451:Maximal Voluntary Ventilation; D014797:Vital Capacity