Travelling to High Altitudes Could be Thrombogenetic!
Journal Title: Archives of Pulmonology and Respiratory Care - Year 2015, Vol 1, Issue 1
Abstract
People ascending to high altitude regions are at risk for a variety of health problems, commonly including acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude cerebral oedema (HACE) and high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) etc. Increasing travel to mountainous terrains has brought light to several other medical problems as well. It has been well recognized that a hypercoagulable state exists when a person is exposed to high altitude environment. This may manifest as early thromboembolic episodes, which may result in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or acute pulmonary embolism (PE), which is a potentially fatal condition. The various effects of thrombosis include pulmonary thrombo-embolism (PTE), cerebral venous thrombosis, portal/splenic vein thrombosis, and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Out of all these conditions, PTE is an extremely common and highly lethal condition that is a leading cause of death in all age groups. Exposure to high altitude (HA), either during air travels, ascension of mountains, or while engaging in sports activities results in hyper coagulability thus predisposing to thromboembolic events. Climbers staying at high altitudes for weeks also possess several risk factors for thromboembolism. A large number of environmental variables suggest that a single cause of HA-induced thromboembolic disorders (TED) may not exist, so that this peculiar phenomenon could be seen as a complex or multifactorial trait. In view of the greatly increased risk of getting deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism at high altitude, it would be interesting to review the studies done so far for defining its cause and treatment. Thus the present review examines the risk of thrombosis at increasing elevations along with the possible underlying mechanisms, the diagnosis and treatment strategies.
Authors and Affiliations
Srivastava Swati
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP340327
- DOI 10.17352/aprc.000006
- Views 107
- Downloads 0
Classical Biphasic Pulmonary Blastoma: A Case Report
Pulmonary blastomas are a rare aggressive neoplasms comprising 0.25-0.5% of all primary lung tumors and portend a poor prognosis. Recent World Health Orgnisation (WHO) reclassifications separated well differentiated feta...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Occupational Exposures: Epidemiological Evidence from R. Macedonia
Introduction: The research found consistent associations between workplace exposures across a wide range of sectors and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) independently of or in concert with...
Usefulness of Transbronchial Cryobiopsy in Interstitial Lung Disease
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a term that describes a group of more than 200 lung disorders that show varying degrees of inflammation and fibrosis of the pulmonary interstitium. The etiology and pathophysiology of m...
Role of Counselling to Facilitate Compliance to the Dots for the Treatment of Tuberculosis
Objectives: The objective of the research was to determine and compare the effectiveness of structured counseling to improve adherence and continuation of directly observed treatment (DOTS). As multi drug resistance (MDR...
Mucin Production Correlates with Dual Expression of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Its Ligand the Epidermal Growth Factor in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Introduction: Mucoproduction plays an important role in the processes of tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), mucins hypersecretion has been associated with alterations in th...