Variations in body dimensions in relation to altitude among the Sherpas of the eastern Himalayas

Abstract

A biomedical study was undertaken on the Sherpas of Upper Khumbu (3500-4500m), Nepal, and their migrant counterparts in the lower altitudes (1000-1500m) of Kalimpong subdivision, Darjeeling district, West Bengal, to study the impact of altitude on human biological characteristics in this Himalayan population, following the basic design of the IBP/Human Adaptability Panel. The results of the anthropometric survey of the adults (234 males and 169 females) are presented here. The high-altitude Sherpas of both sexes have significantly higher values than their low-altitude counterparts for most of the length, breadth and girth measurements, weight, cormic index, weight/stature ratio, weight/(stature)2 ratio, chest/stature ratio, surface area and body fat.