Effect of High Altitude Exposure, Acclimatization and Re-exposure on Nocturnal Breathing Pattern in Lowlanders

NCT ID: NCT02730143

Last Updated: 2018-11-13

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 21 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2016-04-04
• Study Completion Date: 2016-05-07

Brief Summary

Prospective interventional trial in lowlanders evaluating the effect of acute exposure, acclimatization and re-exposure of high altitude on nocturnal breathing pattern.

Detailed Description

Respiratory polygraphies 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 ALMA base camp located at 2900 m near San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile. Participants will stay there for the next 7 nights and respiratory polygraphies will be performed on night 1 and 6. They will be spend the days (6-8 h daily) at the telescope station at 5050 m while undergoing physiological testing. 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.

Conditions

Effect of High Altitude

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Altitude exposure

Acute high altitude exposure followed by 8 day acclimatization and re-exposure after 6 days at low altitude

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Altitude exposure

Intervention Type: OTHER

Altitude exposure

Interventions

Altitude exposure

Altitude exposure

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Calgary

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Zurich

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Konrad E Bloch, MD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

University of Zurich

Locations

University of Zurich

Zurich, , Switzerland

Countries

Switzerland

References

Waldner NF, Hartmann SE, Muralt L, Lichtblau M, Bader PR, Rawling JM, Lopez I, Ulrich S, Poulin MJ, Bloch KE, Furian M. Oxygen saturation and acute mountain sickness during repeated altitude exposures simulating high-altitude working schedules. Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 15;15(1):12987. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-97554-7.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 40234589 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

REB15-2709_V1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id