High Altitude: An Exploration of Human Adaptation

Abstract

This work explores how humans respond to the hypoxia of high altitudes, addressing the response of lowlanders to sudden and sustained exposure, as well as those living permanently at high elevations. The growth of knowledge about air, breathing, and circulation as they relate to high altitude / Charles S. Houston -- The atmosphere / John B. West -- The people / Susan Niermeyer, Stacy Zamudio, and Lorna G. Moore -- Cellular and molecular mechanisms of O₂ sensing with special reference to the carotid body / Sukhamay Lahiri and Neil S. Cherniack -- Molecular/Metabolic defense and rescue mechanisms for surviving oxygen lack : from genes to pathways / Peter W. Hochachka -- Control of breathing at high altitude / Curtis A. Smith, Jerome A. Dempsey, and Thomas F. Hornbein -- Mechanisms of breathing / Joseph Milic-Emili, Bengt Kayser, and Henry Gautier -- Gas exchange / Peter D. Wagner -- The cardiovascular system at high altitude : heart and systemic circulation / Eugene E. Wolfel and Benjamin D. Levine -- The pulmonary circulation at high altitude / John T. Reeves and Kurt R. Stenmark -- Cerebral circulation at high altitude / John W. Severinghaus -- The high-altitude brain / Marcus E. Raichle and Thomas F. Hornbein -- Autonomic nervous system / Douglas R. Seals, Pamela Parker Jones, and Kevin P. Davy -- The effects of altitude on skeletal muscle / Howard J. Green and John R. Sutton -- Blood / Robert F. Grover and Peter Bärtsch -- Renal function and fluid homeostasis / Erik R. Swenson -- Metabolic response of lowlanders to high-altitude exposure : malnutrition versus the effect of hypoxia / George A. Brooks and Gail E. Butterfield -- The endocrine system / Jean-Paul Richalet -- High altitude and human immune responsiveness / Richard T. Meeham, Peter N. Uchakin, and Clarence F. Sams -- Exercise and hypoxia : performance, limits, and training / Robert Roach and Bengt Kayser -- Sleep / John V. Weil and David P. White -- Acute mountain sickness and high-altitude cerebral edema / Peter Bärtsch and Robert Roach (with Diana Depla) -- High-altitude pulmonary edema / Robert B. Schoene, Herbert N. Hultgren, and Erik R. Swenson -- Chronic mountain sickness in Andeans / Carlos C. Monge, Fabiola Léon-Velarde, and Alberto Arrigui -- High altitude and common medical conditions / Peter H. Hackett.