Key result
Chronic hypoxia linked to impaired endothelial function while acute exposure elicits heterogeneous vascular responses.
Why the study?
Vascular adaptation to hypoxia has important clinical consequences for millions living at high altitude and for understanding pathophysiology of various cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
This review summarizes the mechanisms of vascular adaptation to acute and chronic hypoxia, highlighting the role of nitric oxide and endothelial function.
The study of vascular adaptation to extreme conditions, and in particular to hypoxia, represents a unique opportunity in cardiovascular physiology, with relevant translational implications.First, it has crucial clinical consequences for about 140 million people worldwide living at high altitude and chronically exposed to hypobaric hypoxia.Second, an increasing number of lowlanders are exposed to high altitude for recreational or working purposes, including aged, diseased individuals: in these cases, hypoxia could be a trigger for acute cardiovascular events.Finally, hypoxia plays a major role in the pathogenesis of many diseases and chronic conditions, as respiratory (i.e.chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome) and cardiovascular disorders (i.e.heart failure, ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease).Thus, results from field studies at high altitude might be important for a deeper understanding of their pathophysiology.This review is aimed at summarizing the main findings in the field of chronic and acute vascular adaptation to hypoxia, focusing on the role of nitric oxide (NO) and endothelial function, as well as large artery behavior.
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Bruno et al. (2016) conducted a review in Hypoxia. Hypoxia vs. Normoxia was evaluated. Chronic exposure to hypoxia is consistently associated with impaired endothelial function, whereas acute exposure elicits heterogeneous vascular responses that may influence susceptibility to acute mountain sickness.
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