Abstract
Abstract
Background: All over the world, people are increasingly spending time at high altitude for scientific, military, personal or commercial reasons. When otherwise healthy individuals are exposed to altitude, certain physiological reactions occur, ranging from light headache, dyspnea, nausea and subjective discomfort, to life threatening diseases such as cerebral or pulmonary edema. The medical problems associated with ascent to altitude, are mainly caused by lack of oxygen in the inspired air.
Method: The material is based on litterature searches based on a selection of articles from PubMed and Cochrane Library, using the terms “Supplemental oxygen” AND “Altitude”.
Results: Use of supplemental oxygen during exposure of high altitude can prevent the damaging effects caused by the hypoxia that occurs in these environments. Supplemental oxygen improves exercise performance, arterial oxygen saturation, sleep quality, general well-being, mental performance, and work-efficiency. However, potential disadvantages concerning the use of oxygen needs to be considered when planning a stay at high altitude.
Regarding the effects of supplemental oxygen in exposure of acute altitude, more research is needed to establish further knowledge on the subject.
Abstract
Background: All over the world, people are increasingly spending time at high altitude for scientific, military, personal or commercial reasons. When otherwise healthy individuals are exposed to altitude, certain physiological reactions occur, ranging from light headache, dyspnea, nausea and subjective discomfort, to life threatening diseases such as cerebral or pulmonary edema. The medical problems associated with ascent to altitude, are mainly caused by lack of oxygen in the inspired air.
Method: The material is based on litterature searches based on a selection of articles from PubMed and Cochrane Library, using the terms “Supplemental oxygen” AND “Altitude”.
Results: Use of supplemental oxygen during exposure of high altitude can prevent the damaging effects caused by the hypoxia that occurs in these environments. Supplemental oxygen improves exercise performance, arterial oxygen saturation, sleep quality, general well-being, mental performance, and work-efficiency. However, potential disadvantages concerning the use of oxygen needs to be considered when planning a stay at high altitude.
Regarding the effects of supplemental oxygen in exposure of acute altitude, more research is needed to establish further knowledge on the subject.