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The Carotid Bodies at High Altitude

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Diseases of the Human Carotid Body

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Abstract

The initial hyperventilation on first ascent to high altitude is due to stimulation of the carotid bodies. Their contribution to respiration in normoxic man has been estimated as 15% (Barer et al. 1986) but this is much increased in response to hypobaric hypoxia. Not only is arterial chemoreceptor activity increased in lowlanders in response to the hypobaric hypoxia of high altitude but it is sustained. Under such circumstances it might be anticipated that the carotid bodies would undergo permanent enlargement in native highlanders. This was confirmed by Arias-Stella at a meeting of the American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists in San Francisco in 1969. He reported that the carotid bodies of Quechua Indians born and living in the Peruvian Andes are larger than those of mestizos living on the coast. This observation was so important as to form the basis for the study of the pathology of the carotid body beyond chemodectomas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Liverpool Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Duncan Building, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK

    Donald Heath DSc, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPEd, FRCPath (George Holt Professor of Pathology Honorary Consultant Pathologist)

  2. Department of Pathology, Duncan Building, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK

    Paul Smith BSc, Phd (Senior Lecturer)

Authors
  1. Donald Heath DSc, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPEd, FRCPath
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  2. Paul Smith BSc, Phd
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© 1992 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Heath, D., Smith, P. (1992). The Carotid Bodies at High Altitude. In: Diseases of the Human Carotid Body. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1874-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1874-9_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-1876-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-1874-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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