Time course and magnitude of ventilatory and renal acid-base acclimatization following rapid ascent to and residence at 3,800 m over nine days
Jordan D. Bird, Jack K. Leacy, Glen E. Foster, Caroline A. Rickards, Richard J. A. Wilson, Ken D. O’Halloran, Nicholas Jendzjowsky, Brandon Pentz, Britta R. M. Byman, Scott F. Thrall, Alexandra Skalk, Sarah Hewitt, Craig D. Steinback, David P. Burns, P Ondruš, Trevor A. Day
Abstract
We assessed the time course, magnitude, and variability of integrated ventilatory and renal acid-base acclimatization with rapid ascent and residence at 3,800 m. Despite reductions in [Formula: see text] upon ascent, pHa was normalized within 24 h of arrival at 3,800 m through renal compensation (i.e., bicarbonate elimination). Renal reactivity (RR) was unchanged between days 2 and 9, suggesting a lack of plasticity at moderate steady-state altitude. RR was strongly correlated with ΔpHa, suggesting that a high-gain renal response better protects pHa.