Title
Chronic cor pulmonale due to loss of altitude acclimatization (chronic mountain sickness)
Date Issued
01 January 1971
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Abstract
Ten male subjects with chronic mountain sickness were studied in Cerro de Pasco, Perú at 14,200 feet above sea level. Cyanosis, extreme polycythemia and very low values of arterial oxygen saturation were frequent findings. Hypoxia and polycythemia of severe degree are related to alveolar hypoventilation demonstrated in previous studies. Roentgen examination as well as electrocardiographic and vectorcardiographic studies showed enlargement of the right cardiac chambers. Pulmonary hypertension, of greater degree than seen in healthy highlanders, was found in these patients. Muscularization of pulmonary arterioles, hypoxic arteriolar vasoconstriction and polycythemia are contributing factors to the mechanism of pulmonary hypertension. The importance of the functional factors is demonstrated by the prompt disappearance of clinical symptoms and the great reduction of right cardiac overload and pulmonary hypertension in the patients moved down to sea level. The clinical symptoms as well as the roentgenologic, electrocardiographic and hemodynamic data are similar to those occurring in cases of chronic cor pulmonale due to alveolar hypoventilation. Muscularization of the pulmonary arteries and reversion of clinical and physiologic findings are also features common to the hypoxic type of chronic cor pulmonale. There is therefore enough clinical, physiologic and anatomic basis to conclude that Monge's disease is a variety of chronic cor pulmonale due to alveolar hypoxia. © 1971.
Start page
728
End page
743
Volume
50
Issue
6
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Medicina general, Medicina interna
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-0015074847
PubMed ID
Source
The American Journal of Medicine
ISSN of the container
00029343
Sponsor(s)
From the Cardiovascular Laboratory, High Altitude Research Institute, Peruvian University “Cayetano Heredia,” Lima, Peru. This work was supported by U.S. Public Health Service Research Grant HE-06910-07 and in part by U.S. Army Research Grant DA-HC 19-68-G-0028. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. Dante Pehaloza, lnstituto de lnvestigaciones de la Altura, Apartado 6083, Lima, Peru. Manuscript received June 8, 1970.
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