Effect of High Altitude
Conditions
Keywords
postural control, high altitude
Brief summary
Prospective interventional trial in lowlanders evaluating the effect of acute exposure, acclimatization and re-exposure to high altitude on postural control
Detailed description
Baseline measurements including the assessment of the center of pressure during 30s, the cerebral oxygen saturation and a sharpened Romberg test will be performed in Santiago de Chile, 520 m, over the course of 3 days. Participants will then travel by commercial airline (5 h flight) and by bus (3 h ride) to the base camp of the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope station located at 2900 m near San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile. Participants will stay there for the next 8 nights and they will be spend the days (6-8 h daily) at the telescope station at 5050 m while undergoing testing as described above at the first and the last day at 5050m. Daily transports from 2900 to 5050 m will be by car (1 h ride, one way). After the first 8 day altitude sojourn participants will return to the Santiago area (520 m) for a 6 day recovery period. A second altitude sojourn with an identical schedule as the one described above and a final low altitude stay of 3 days will follow.
Interventions
OTHERaltitude exposure
altitude exposure
Sponsors
University of Zurich
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* born, raised and currently living \<800m * No overnight stay at altitudes \>1500 m 4 weeks before the study
Exclusion criteria
* Previous altitude intolerance to altitude \<3000 m * Pregnancy * Health impairment, which requires regular treatment
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Center of pressure path length measured by Wii-balance board | Low altitude sojourn at 520 m; first sojourn at 5050 m Day 2, 7; second sojourn at 5050 m Day 2, 7 | Changes in center of pressure path length during the 2 sojourns at 5050 m and compared to lowland. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Postural stability measured by sharpened Romberg-test and heel-to-toe walk | Low altitude sojourn at 520 m; first sojourn at 5050 m Day 2, 7; second sojourn at 5050 m Day 2, 7 | Changes in postural stability during the 2 sojourns at 5050 m and compared to lowland. |
| Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation measured by near infrared spectroscopy | Low altitude sojourn at 520 m; first sojourn at 5050 m Day 2, 7; second sojourn at 5050 m Day 2, 7 | Changes in cerebral oxygen saturation during the 2 sojourns at 5050 m and compared to lowland. |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed