TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of high-altitude trekking on blood pressure and on asymmetric dimethylarginine and isoprostane production
T2 - Results from a Mount Ararat expedition
AU - Verratti, Vittore
AU - Ferrante, Claudio
AU - Soranna, Davide
AU - Zambon, Antonella
AU - Bhandari, Suwas
AU - Orlando, Giustino
AU - Brunetti, Luigi
AU - Parati, Gianfranco
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank all the mountaineers of the Ararat expedition (the Abruzzo Black Condors) who provided technical support to study investigators.
Publisher Copyright:
©2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/8/1
Y1 - 2020/8/1
N2 - The study aimed at exploring the mechanisms behind blood pressure and heart rate changes upon acute altitude exposure utilizing urinary excretion of biochemical factors involved in cardiovascular regulation. The study was conducted on 12 lowlander native male mountain climbers, living at sea level, exposed to altitudes ranging from 1800 to 5147 m above sea level over 4 days, during their ascent to Mount Ararat (Turkey). Blood pressure (measured by oscillometric method), heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) were recorded at rest (on awakening before food intake), in hypoxic conditions at 4200 m and at sea level before and after the altitude expedition. In the same study conditions (ie before-during-after the expedition), first-voided urinary samples were collected and assayed for 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) determination. Heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher (P <.05) at high altitude than at the sea level. Furthermore, both urinary 8-iso-PGF2α and ADMA were significantly elevated (P <.01) at high altitude and returned to normal levels soon after returning to sea level. A 4-day exposure to high-altitude hypoxia induced a temporary increase in blood pressure and heart rate, confirming previous findings. Blood pressure increase at high altitude was associated with significantly enhanced production of biochemical mediators such as 8-iso-PGF2α, catecholamines, and ADMA, although we could not demonstrate a direct link between these parallel significant changes probably due to the forcefully limited sample size of our study, carried out in challenging environmental conditions at very high altitude.
AB - The study aimed at exploring the mechanisms behind blood pressure and heart rate changes upon acute altitude exposure utilizing urinary excretion of biochemical factors involved in cardiovascular regulation. The study was conducted on 12 lowlander native male mountain climbers, living at sea level, exposed to altitudes ranging from 1800 to 5147 m above sea level over 4 days, during their ascent to Mount Ararat (Turkey). Blood pressure (measured by oscillometric method), heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) were recorded at rest (on awakening before food intake), in hypoxic conditions at 4200 m and at sea level before and after the altitude expedition. In the same study conditions (ie before-during-after the expedition), first-voided urinary samples were collected and assayed for 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) determination. Heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher (P <.05) at high altitude than at the sea level. Furthermore, both urinary 8-iso-PGF2α and ADMA were significantly elevated (P <.01) at high altitude and returned to normal levels soon after returning to sea level. A 4-day exposure to high-altitude hypoxia induced a temporary increase in blood pressure and heart rate, confirming previous findings. Blood pressure increase at high altitude was associated with significantly enhanced production of biochemical mediators such as 8-iso-PGF2α, catecholamines, and ADMA, although we could not demonstrate a direct link between these parallel significant changes probably due to the forcefully limited sample size of our study, carried out in challenging environmental conditions at very high altitude.
KW - 8-iso-PGF
KW - ADMA
KW - altitude
KW - blood pressure
KW - hypoxia
KW - sympathetic nervous system
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U2 - 10.1111/jch.13961
DO - 10.1111/jch.13961
M3 - Article
C2 - 32762147
AN - SCOPUS:85089029245
VL - 22
SP - 1494
EP - 1503
JO - Journal of the CardioMetabolic Syndrome
JF - Journal of the CardioMetabolic Syndrome
SN - 1524-6175
IS - 8
ER -