Acid-base balance at high altitude in lowlanders and indigenous highlanders
Michael M. Tymko, Christopher K. Willie, Connor A. Howe, Ryan L. Hoiland, Rachel Stone, Kaitlyn Tymko, Courtney Tymko, David B. MacLeod, James D. Anholm, Christopher Gasho, Francisco C. Villafuerte, Gustavo Vizcardo‐Galindo, Rómulo Figueroa‐Mujíca, Trevor A. Day, Jordan D. Bird, Glen E. Foster, Craig D. Steinback, Julien V. Brugniaux, Benoît Champigneulle, Émeric Stauffer, Stéphane Doutreleau, Samuel Vergès, Erik R. Swenson, Philip N. Ainslie
Abstract
Lowlander, Andean, and Sherpa arterial blood data were combined across five independent high-altitude expeditions in the United States, Nepal, and Peru to assess acid-base status at ∼3,800, ∼4,300, and ∼5,000 m. The main finding was that Andean and Sherpa highlander populations have more acidic arterial blood, due to elevated arterial carbon dioxide and similar arterial bicarbonate compared with acclimatizing lowlanders at altitudes ≥4,300 m.