Altitude can have deleterious effects on health, we often talk about “mountain sickness“. Headaches, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, dizziness … sometimes appear from 2000 meters above sea level. Other more serious risks can also be declared such as high altitude pulmonary edema, recalls the French Society of Emergency Medicine. That said, we also know that high altitude air is less rich in oxygen and causes the body to produce more red blood cells to re-oxygenate the body. A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology believes that living at moderate heights could reduce the risk of stroke.
Why, if the altitude is so risky, 160 million people would manage to live there in the world (at more than 2,500 meters)? The researchers were interested in populations living in Ecuador, of which 100,000 people had already had stroke. They looked at how high the patients had lived and formed four groups. By comparing, they realized that those who had had a stroke the latest resided at more than 2500 meters, suggesting that the altitude could have a beneficial effect against this disorder.
More blood and a better vascular network at altitude
A study carried out in Peru last August found that residents of the world’s highest city, La Rinconada in Peru, had significantly more blood volume than average. For people not living at altitude, the total volume is estimated to be 4 to 5 liters. They had 8 liters of it and their blood was much thicker.
Several studies have already shown that at an altitude of 4000 meters, pulmonary and cerebral edemas are more frequent. And what this observation reveals in Ecuador confirms it: there would be an optimal altitude for the body, between 2000 and 3500 meters, for which the risk of stroke would be lower. In this range, the blood would produce more red blood cells to be oxygenated and would have better clotting, with a more extensive vascular network. In the event of a stroke, the body would be better able to avoid the after-effects and to renew itself.
Sources: Frontiers in Physiology (09/30/2021), French Society of Emergency Medicine.
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