Wilderness & environmental medicine
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Wilderness Environ Med · Sep 2011
Controlled Clinical TrialSildenafil and bosentan improve arterial oxygenation during acute hypoxic exercise: a controlled laboratory trial.
Sildenafil and, recently, bosentan have been reported to increase arterial saturation and exercise capacity at altitude. The mechanisms behind this are still poorly defined but may be related to attenuation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) and improved gas exchange. This study was designed to examine and compare the effect of sildenafil and bosentan on pulmonary gas exchange during acute hypoxic exercise in a controlled laboratory setting. ⋯ These data demonstrate that sildenafil and bosentan equally improve arterial oxygenation in acute hypoxia in both men and women, which could account for improved physical performance at altitude.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Sep 2011
A comparison of the incidence and understanding of altitude illness between porters and trekkers in the Solu Khumbu Region of Nepal.
Altitude illness can occur in anyone who ascends to high altitude. Better understanding of altitude illness is associated with a lower incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS). The purpose of this study is to compare, for the first time, the incidence and understanding of altitude illness between foreign trekkers and indigenous porters in Nepal. ⋯ Porters had a lower incidence of AMS, which may be attributable to repeated ascents through the trekking season, or differences in reporting symptoms. Both trekkers and porters demonstrated appropriate knowledge of actions to be taken in response to altitude illness.