title: Blood rheology in acute mountain sickness and high-altitude pulmonary edema.
abstract: The role of blood rheology in the pathogenesis of acute mountain sickness and high-altitude pulmonary edema was investigated. Twenty-three volunteers, 12 with a history of high-altitude pulmonary edema, were studied at low altitude (490 m) and at 2 h and 18 h after arrival at 4,559 m. Eight subjects remained healthy, seven developed acute mountain sickness, and eight developed high-altitude pulmonary edema. Hematocrit, whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, erythrocyte aggregation, and erythrocyte deformability (filtration) were measured. Plasma viscosity and erythrocyte deformability remained unaffected. The hematocrit level was lower 2 h after the arrival at high altitude and higher after 18 h compared with low altitude. The whole blood viscosity changed accordingly. The erythrocyte aggregation was about doubled 18 h after the arrival compared with low-altitude values, which reflects the acute phase reaction. There were, however, no significant differences in any rheological parameters between healthy individuals and subjects with acute mountain sickness or high-altitude pulmonary edema, either before or during the illness. We conclude that rheological abnormalities can be excluded as an initiating event in the development of acute mountain sickness and high-altitude pulmonary edema.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Reinhart
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kayser
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Waber
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Oelz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bärtsch
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D001809:Blood Viscosity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004903:Erythrocyte Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012212:Rheology
chemical_list: D009543:Nifedipine; D010100:Oxygen