Prospective interventional trial in lowlanders evaluating the effect of acute exposure, acclimatization and re-exposure of high altitude on nocturnal breathing pattern.
Respiratory polygraphies will be performed in Santiago de Chile, 520 m, over the course of 3 days. Participants will then travel by commercial airline (5 h flight) and by bus (3 h ride) to the ALMA base camp located at 2900 m near San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile. Participants will stay there for the next 7 nights and respiratory polygraphies will be performed on night 1 and 6. They will be spend the days (6-8 h daily) at the telescope station at 5050 m while undergoing physiological testing. Daily transports from 2900 to 5050 m will be by car (1 h ride, one way). After the first 8 day altitude sojourn participants will return to the Santiago area (520 m) for a 6 day recovery period. A second altitude sojourn with an identical schedule as the one described above and a final low altitude stay of 3 days will follow.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
21
Altitude exposure
University of Zurich
Zurich, Switzerland
Mean nocturnal oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry
Change in mean nocturnal oxygen saturation over the course of high altitude exposure during 2 sojourns at 5050 m compared to low altitude
Time frame: first sojourn at 5050 m, night 1, 6; second sojourn at 5050 m, night 1, 6; low altitude sojourn at 520 m, night 1
Apnea-/hypopnea index measured by respiratory polygraphy
Change in apnea-/hypopnea index over the course of high altitude exposure during 2 sojourns at 5050 m compared to low altitude
Time frame: first sojourn at 5050 m, night 1, 6; second sojourn at 5050 m, night 1, 6; low altitude sojourn at 520 m, night 1
Oxygen desaturation index measured by respiratory polygraphy
Change in oxygen desaturation index over the course of high altitude exposure during 2 sojourns at 5050 m compared to low altitude
Time frame: first sojourn at 5050 m, night 1, 6; second sojourn at 5050 m, night 1, 6; low altitude sojourn at 520 m, night 1
Acute mountain sickness measured by the Environmental Symptom questionnaire cerebral score (AMSc)
Incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMSc score \>= 0.7) over the course of high altitude exposure during 2 sojourns at 5050 m compared to low altitude
Time frame: first sojourn at 5050 m, day 2, 7; second sojourn at 5050 m, day 2,7; low altitude sojourn at 520 m, day 2
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