title: [Comparison of echocardiographic parameters in healthy Chinese children born and living at high altitude or at sea-level].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic hypoxia at high altitude might result in cardiopulmonary adaptations including pulmonary arterial hypertension and cardiac remodeling. But little is known about the adaptive changes in healthy children born and living at high altitude. We compared the echocardiographic measurements between the healthy children living at 16 m (Shanghai, n = 220) and 3 700 m (Qinghai, total 257, Han children 117, Tibetan children 140).
  
  
  METHODS
  Children's age ranged from 15 d to 14 years. Echocardiography measurements were performed, values of the left and right ventricular dimensions and wall thickness, systolic and diastolic function including cardiac output index (CI), as well as mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) were obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  mPAP and right heart dimension, CI, right ventricular anterior wall thickness were significantly higher while ventricular systolic and diastolic function were significantly lower in 3 700 m group than in 16 m group (all P < 0.05). Left ventricular dimension was similar between the two groups. There were no differences on above measured parameters between the Han and Tibetan children from 3 700 m group (all P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children born and living at high altitude in China have significantly higher mPAP, dilated right heart and lower systolic and diastolic function of both ventricles and higher CI compared to children born and living at see-level. Above parameters were similar between the Han and the Tibetan childen born and living at high altitude. Present study provides reference values for the healthy children living at high altitude.
authors.affiliation: Division of Echocardiography, Women and Children's Hospital of Qinghai Province, Xining 810000, China.
authors.forename: Haiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Suya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ruyan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Lixia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Shuping
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mai
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Meiying
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Haining
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yuqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Sun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yuehong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Email: j1al1@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000531:Altitude; D044466:Asian People; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D003971:Diastole; D004452:Echocardiography; D006321:Heart; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary; D000860:Hypoxia; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008168:Lung; D013599:Systole