What effect would living at high altitude (e.g. in the Andes or on the Tibetan P

Question

What effect would living at high altitude (e.g. in the Andes or on the Tibetan Plateau) have on the gas transport cascade?In your answer, you should include (and discuss in depth) terms and processes such as gas transport cascade, convection, diffusion, FO2, PO2, PiO2, PaO2, PAO2, ventilation, tidal volume, total pulmonary ventilation, alveolar ventilation, dead space, diffusion, hemoglobin, Hb-O2 dissociation curve, Hb-O2 affinity, hematocrit, blood oxygen carrying capacity, cardiac output, heart rate, pacemaker cells, SA node, funny channels, stroke volume, Frank-Starling mechanism, contractility, cardiac hypertrophy, preload, afterload, oxygen consumption (VO2), etc.

Explanation / Answer

Living at high altitude causes change in different physiology of the human. As we know that at high altitude the concentration of the oxygen in the environment is less than that in plane area. This causes decrease in partial pressure of oxygen in the lungs also. The decrease in the partial pressure of the oxygen in the inhaled air is sensed by carotid body receptor. This increases heart rate and respiratory rate is also increased in order to inhales more air. Other physiological charges are decreased stroke volume, decreased food digestion, increased hematocrit or polycythemia, increase in 2,3- bis phosphoglycerate, increased mitochondria, increased aerobic enzymes etc. Due to increased carbon dioxide, and increased 2,3- bisphosphoglycerate the hemoglobin dissociation curve shift to right and affinity of the oxygen to the hemoglobin decreases. This right shift of the oxygen hemoglobin curve causes more release of oxygen at the tissue level. This physiological changes and acclimatisation may be of short term duration or long term duration.

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