Variations in body dimensions in relation to altitude among the Sherpas of the eastern Himalayas.
A biomedical study was undertaken on the Sherpas of Upper Khumbu (3500-4500m), Nepal, and their migrant counterparts in the lower altitudes (1000-1500m) of Kalimpong subdivision, Darjeeling district, West Bengal, to study the impact of altitude on human biological characteristics in this Himalayan population, following the basic design of the IBP/Human Adaptability Panel. The results of the anthropometric survey of the adults (234 males and 169 females) are presented here. The high-altitude Sherpas of both sexes have significantly higher values than their low-altitude counterparts for most of the length, breadth and girth measurements, weight, cormic index, weight/stature ratio, weight/(stature)2 ratio, chest/stature ratio, surface area and body fat.
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D000886:Anthropometry; D001132:Arm / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001211:Asia, Western; D044466:Asian People; D001824:Body Constitution; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013909:Thorax / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014171:Transients and Migrants