Journal of Applied Physiology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Appl Physiol 99: 1796-1801, 2005. First published July 14, 2005; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00205.2005
8750-7587/05 $8.00
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Free
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
99/5/1796    most recent
00205.2005v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (6)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hoit, B. D.
Right arrow Articles by Beall, C. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hoit, B. D.
Right arrow Articles by Beall, C. M.

Nitric oxide and cardiopulmonary hemodynamics in Tibetan highlanders

Brian D. Hoit,1 Nancy D. Dalton,2 Serpil C. Erzurum,3 Daniel Laskowski,3 Kingman P. Strohl,4 and Cynthia M. Beall5

1Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University; 3Departments of Pathobiology and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation; 4Medical Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Medicine, and 5Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and 2Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, San Diego, California

Submitted 22 February 2005 ; accepted in final form 12 July 2005

When O2 availability is reduced unavoidably, as it is at high altitude, a potential mechanism to improve O2 delivery to tissues is an increase in blood flow. Nitric oxide (NO) regulates blood vessel diameter and can influence blood flow. This field study of intrapopulation variation at high altitude tested the hypothesis that the level of exhaled NO (a summary measure of pulmonary synthesis, consumption, and transfer from cells in the airway) is directly proportional to pulmonary, and thus systemic, blood flow. Twenty Tibetan male and 37 female healthy, nonsmoking, native residents at 4,200 m (13,900 ft), with an average O2 saturation of hemoglobin of 85%, participated in the study. The geometric mean partial pressure of NO exhaled at a flow of 17 ml/s was 23.4 nmHg, significantly lower than that of a sea-level reference group. However, the rate of NO transfer out of the airway wall was seven times higher than at sea level, which implied the potential for vasodilation of the pulmonary blood vessels. Mean pulmonary blood flow (measured by cardiac index) was 2.7 ± 0.1 (SE) l/min, and mean pulmonary artery systolic pressure was 31.4 ± 0.9 (SE) mmHg. Higher exhaled NO was associated with higher pulmonary blood flow; yet there was no associated increase in pulmonary artery systolic pressure. The results suggest that NO in the lung may play a key beneficial role in allowing Tibetans at 4,200 m to compensate for ambient hypoxia with higher pulmonary blood flow and O2 delivery without the consequences of higher pulmonary arterial pressure.

high altitude; oxygen delivery; oxygen availability; hypoxia


Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: B. D. Hoit, 11100 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106-5038 (e-mail: bdh6{at}cwru.edu)




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
S. C. Erzurum, S. Ghosh, A. J. Janocha, W. Xu, S. Bauer, N. S. Bryan, J. Tejero, C. Hemann, R. Hille, D. J. Stuehr, et al.
Higher blood flow and circulating NO products offset high-altitude hypoxia among Tibetans
PNAS, November 6, 2007; 104(45): 17593 - 17598.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 CirculationHome page
P. Bartsch and J. S. R. Gibbs
Effect of Altitude on the Heart and the Lungs
Circulation, November 6, 2007; 116(19): 2191 - 2202.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol.Home page
M. J. Wilson, M. Lopez, M. Vargas, C. Julian, W. Tellez, A. Rodriguez, A. Bigham, J. F. Armaza, S. Niermeyer, M. Shriver, et al.
Greater uterine artery blood flow during pregnancy in multigenerational (Andean) than shorter-term (European) high-altitude residents
Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, September 1, 2007; 293(3): R1313 - R1324.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
C. C. W. Hsia, R. L. Johnson Jr, P. McDonough, D. M. Dane, M. D. Hurst, J. L. Fehmel, H. E. Wagner, and P. D. Wagner
Residence at 3,800-m altitude for 5 mo in growing dogs enhances lung diffusing capacity for oxygen that persists at least 2.5 years
J Appl Physiol, April 1, 2007; 102(4): 1448 - 1455.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Visit Other APS Journals Online
Copyright © 2005 by the American Physiological Society.