Question

What major cardiovascular, pulmonary, and muscle adaptations occur in the body within just a few days of arriving at altitude?

Answer 1

After a few days of acclimatization, the cardiac output returns to normal, but however heart rate remains increased, so that stroke volume is decreased. Pulmonary heart pressure increases without change in pulmonary artery wedge pressure. This pattern is essentially unchanged with prolonged or lifelong altitude sojourns. In detail, the acute exposure to high altitude can definitely affect the cardiovascular system by decreasing oxygen in the blood and it also increases demand on the heart, adrenaline release and pulmonary artery pressures. The lungs response to acute altitude leads to mainly hyperventilation which together with high heart rate, results in achieving an adequate supply of oxygen to the tissues. At rest, ventilation increases by firstly increasing the tidal volume, at least up to 3500 m. And also the increase in breathing that was initiated in the first few seconds of altitude exposure remains, and haemoglobin levels increase, along with the ratio of blood vessels to the muscle mass.