Augmented Sympathetic Activation During Short-Term Hypoxia and High-Altitude Exposure in Subjects Susceptible to High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema

Abstract

With the use of direct measurements of postganglionic sympathetic nerve discharge, these data provide the first evidence for an exaggerated sympathetic activation in subjects prone to high-altitude pulmonary edema both during short-term hypoxic breathing at low altitude and during actual high-altitude exposure. Sympathetic overactivation may contribute to high-altitude pulmonary edema.