Ventilatory Function in Adaptation to High Altitude: Studies in Tibet

Abstract

human beings have lived at high altitudes on the Tibetan Plateau for thousands of years. The Tibetans, having perhaps lived at high altitude longer than any other population on earth, have had ample opportunity to adapt. One important adaptation is ventilation. Pulmonary ventilation is the first step in the transport chain that moves oxygen from the ambient air to the tissue cell. Failure of pulmonary ventilation in individuals who go to high altitude is considered central in acute and chronic altitude sickness. We hypothesized that the healthy Tibetan at high altitude represents the “gold standard” of ventilatory acclimatization. Newcomers who successfully adapt to life on the Tibetan Plateau might show ventilatory function as good as that of the native Tibetan, and those who show maladaptation show poor ventilatory function.