Risks Associated with Travelling to High Altitude for Patients with Existing Coronary Artery Disease

Tourism to high altitude is very popular which attracts a large number of travellers including healthy as well as individual with compromised health.CAD patients are one of them.So risk assessment for this population travelling to high altitudes is of increasing interest.They also seek advice from physicians.Due to lack of studies, evidence based recommendation is not so easy.The main concern for CAD patients at high altitude is increased workload and decreased oxygen supply to damaged myocardium due to a number of factors like low atmospheric PO 2 , increased sympathetic tone, increased heart rate, and endothelial dysfunction of atherosclerotic coronary arteries 1-3 .In this study 6 trials has been reviewed where acute effects on high altitude (ranged in 1000m-4500m) on CAD patients as well as effects after acclimatization were observed.Maximum studies observed increased risk of ischemia whereas some found no significant difference in effects between healthy population and CAD patients.Therefore CAD patients may travel high altitudes only after stabilization of disease, proper exercise tolerance and consider physicians consent.Risks can also be avoided by travelling less than 3500 meter of height.However, if symptoms arise during travelling, continuation of proper medication and descent must be done.