Download PDF
Int J Sports Med 1992; 13: S40-S42
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1024588
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Sleep Apneas in High Altitude Residents (3,800 m)

H. Normand1 , E. Vargas2 , J. Bordachar3 , O. Benoit3 , J. Raynaud3
  • 1UFR Médicale Caen 14 France
  • 2Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, Bolivia
  • 3CNRS URA 1159 France
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
14 March 2008 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

The question is: to what extent periodic breathing usually observed in translocated subjects at high altitude affects normal and polycythemic residents of high altitude?

Standard sleep parameters, chest wall movements, temperature of ventilated gas and arterial O2 saturation (SaO2) were continuously recorded in 7 normal high-landers (mean hematocrit: 51%) and 14 polycythemic high-landers (mean hematocrit: 68%) during one night in La Paz, 3,850 m, Bolivia. The patterns of breathing instability were analysed by two ways: measuring duration of apneas and counting all the oscillations of SaO2 greater than 1%. Normal and polycythemic highlanders displayed a wide intersubject variability with regard to breathing instability, hence no significant difference in the total number of apneas and oscillations of SaO2 could be evidenced between the 2 groups. However, the longest apneas and the highest number of oscillations of SaO2 were found in the polycythemic highlanders.

Key words

Ventilation during sleep - periodic breathing - high altitude natives

      >