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Deng MD, Zhang XJ, Feng Q, Wang R, He F, Yang FW, Liu XM, Sun FF, Tao J, Li S, Chen Z. The impact of high-altitude migration on cardiac structure and function: a 1-year prospective study. Front Physiol 2024; 15:1459031. [PMID: 39282085 PMCID: PMC11392884 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1459031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The trend of human migration to terrestrial high altitudes (HA) has been increasing over the years. However, no published prospective studies exist with follow-up periods exceeding 1 month to investigate the cardiac change. This prospective study aimed to investigate the changes in cardiac structure and function in healthy young male lowlanders following long-term migration to HA. Methods A total of 122 Chinese healthy young males were divided into 2 groups: those migrating to altitudes between 3600 m and 4000 m (low HA group, n = 65) and those migrating to altitudes between 4000 m and 4700 m (high HA group, n = 57). Traditional echocardiographic parameters were measured at sea level, 1 month and 1 year after migration to HA. Results All 4 cardiac chamber dimensions, areas, and volumes decreased after both 1 month and 1 year of HA exposure. This reduction was more pronounced in the high HA group than in the low HA group. Bi-ventricular diastolic function decreased after 1 month of HA exposure, while systolic function decreased after 1 year. Notably, these functional changes were not significantly influenced by altitude differences. Dilation of the pulmonary artery and a progressive increase in pulmonary artery systolic pressure were observed with both increasing exposure time and altitude. Additionally, a decreased diameter of the inferior vena cava and reduced bicuspid and tricuspid blood flow velocity indicated reduced blood flow following migration to the HA. Discussion 1 year of migration to HA is associated with decreased blood volume and enhanced hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. These factors contribute to reduced cardiac chamber size and slight declines in bi-ventricular function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Dan Deng
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xin-Jie Zhang
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qin Feng
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Fen He
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Feng-Wu Yang
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xian-Mei Liu
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Fei-Fei Sun
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jie Tao
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Shuang Li
- Department of Cardiology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhong Chen
- Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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Saxer S, Bader PR, Schneider SR, Mademilov M, Sheraliev U, Appenzeller P, Müller J, Sooronbaev TM, Bloch KE, Ulrich S, Lichtblau M. Echocardiography and extravascular lung water during 3 weeks of exposure to high altitude in otherwise healthy asthmatics. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1214887. [PMID: 37560159 PMCID: PMC10407397 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1214887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Asthma rehabilitation at high altitude is common. Little is known about the acute and subacute cardiopulmonary acclimatization to high altitude in middle-aged asthmatics without other comorbidities. Methods: In this prospective study in lowlander subjects with mostly mild asthma who revealed an asthma control questionnaire score >0.75 and participated in a three-week rehabilitation program, we assessed systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP), cardiac function, and extravascular lung water (EVLW) at 760 m (baseline) by Doppler-echocardiography and on the second (acute) and last day (subacute) at a high altitude clinic in Kyrgyzstan (3100 m). Results: The study included 22 patients (eight male) with a mean age of 44.3 ± 12.4 years, body mass index of 25.8 ± 4.7 kg/m2, a forced expiratory volume in 1 s of 92% ± 19% predicted (post-bronchodilator), and partially uncontrolled asthma. sPAP increased from 21.8 mmHg by mean difference by 7.5 [95% confidence interval 3.9 to 10.5] mmHg (p < 0.001) during acute exposure and by 4.8 [1.0 to 8.6] mmHg (p = 0.014) during subacute exposure. The right-ventricular-to-pulmonary-artery coupling expressed by TAPSE/sPAP decreased from 1.1 by -0.2 [-0.3 to -0.1] mm/mmHg (p < 0.001) during acute exposure and by -0.2 [-0.3 to -0.1] mm/mmHg (p = 0.002) during subacute exposure, accordingly. EVLW significantly increased from baseline (1.3 ± 1.8) to acute hypoxia (5.5 ± 3.5, p < 0.001) but showed no difference after 3 weeks (2.0 ± 1.8). Conclusion: In otherwise healthy asthmatics, acute exposure to hypoxia at high altitude increases pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and EVLW. During subacute exposure, PAP remains increased, but EVLW returns to baseline values, suggesting compensatory mechanisms that contribute to EVLW homeostasis during acclimatization.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Saxer
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
- Eastern University of Applied Sciences, St Gallen, Switzerland
| | - P. R. Bader
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
| | - S. R. Schneider
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
| | - M. Mademilov
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Center for Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - U. Sheraliev
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Center for Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - P. Appenzeller
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
| | - J. Müller
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
| | - T. M. Sooronbaev
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Center for Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - K. E. Bloch
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
| | - S. Ulrich
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
| | - M. Lichtblau
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss-Kyrgyz High Altitude Medicine and Research Initiative, Tuja-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan
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Hou J, Wen X, Long P, Xiong S, Liu H, Cai L, Deng H, Zhang Z. The role of post-translational modifications in driving abnormal cardiovascular complications at high altitude. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:886300. [PMID: 36186970 PMCID: PMC9515308 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.886300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The high-altitude environment is characterized by hypobaric hypoxia, low temperatures, low humidity, and high radiation, which is a natural challenge for lowland residents entering. Previous studies have confirmed the acute and chronic effects of high altitude on the cardiovascular systems of lowlanders. Abnormal cardiovascular complications, including pulmonary edema, cardiac hypertrophy and pulmonary arterial hypertension were commonly explored. Effective evaluation of cardiovascular adaptive response in high altitude can provide a basis for early warning, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of altitude diseases. At present, post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins are a key step to regulate their biological functions and dynamic interactions with other molecules. This process is regulated by countless enzymes called “writer, reader, and eraser,” and the performance is precisely controlled. Mutations and abnormal expression of these enzymes or their substrates have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases associated with high altitude. Although PTMs play an important regulatory role in key processes such as oxidative stress, apoptosis, proliferation, and hypoxia response, little attention has been paid to abnormal cardiovascular response at high altitude. Here, we reviewed the roles of PTMs in driving abnormal cardiovascular complications at high altitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Hou
- Department of Cardiology, Chengdu Third People’s Hospital, Cardiovascular Disease Research Institute of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xudong Wen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chengdu First People’s Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Pan Long
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Shiqiang Xiong
- Department of Cardiology, Chengdu Third People’s Hospital, Cardiovascular Disease Research Institute of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hanxiong Liu
- Department of Cardiology, Chengdu Third People’s Hospital, Cardiovascular Disease Research Institute of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lin Cai
- Department of Cardiology, Chengdu Third People’s Hospital, Cardiovascular Disease Research Institute of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Lin Cai,
| | - Haoyu Deng
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Center for Heart and Lung Innovation, St. Paul’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Haoyu Deng,
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Chengdu Third People’s Hospital, Cardiovascular Disease Research Institute of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
- Zhen Zhang,
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