Cerebral hemodynamic characteristics of acute mountain sickness upon acute high-altitude exposure at 3,700 m in young Chinese men

• Published in: European journal of applied physiology Vol. 114; no. 10; pp. 2193 - 2200
• Main Authors: Bian, Shi-Zhu, Jin, Jun, Li, Qian-Ning, Qin, Jun, Zhang, Ji-Hang, Yu, Shi-Yong, Chen, Jian-Fei, Tang, Cai-Fa, Huang, Lan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Altitude; Altitude Sickness - physiopathology; Asymmetry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cardiology; Case-Control Studies; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Headaches; Hemodynamics; Human Physiology; Humans; Hypoxia; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Original; Original Article; Sports Medicine; Veins & arteries; Velocity; China; Lake Louise; Cerebral hemodynamic characteristics; Acute mountain sickness; High altitude
• ISSN: 1439-6319; 1439-6327; 1439-6327
• DOI: 10.1007/s00421-014-2934-6

Purpose We aimed at identifying the cerebral hemodynamic characteristics of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Methods Transcranial Doppler (TCD) sonography examinations were performed between 18 and 24 h after arrival at 3,700 m via plane from 500 m ( n  = 454). A subgroup of 151 subjects received TCD examinations at both altitudes. Results The velocities of the middle cerebral artery, vertebral artery (VA) and basilar artery (BA) increased while the pulsatility indexes (PIs) and resistance indexes (RIs) decreased significantly (all p  < 0.05). Velocities of BA were higher in AMS (AMS+) individuals when compared with non-AMS (AMS−) subjects (systolic velocity: 66 ± 12 vs. 69 ± 15 cm/s, diastolic velocity: 29 ± 7 vs. 31 ± 8 cm/s and mean velocity, 42 ± 9 vs. 44 ± 10 cm/s). AMS was characterized by higher diastolic velocity [ V d_VA (26 ± 4 vs. 25 ± 4, p  = 0.013)] with lower PI and RI (both p  = 0.004) in VA. Furthermore, the asymmetry index (AI) of VAs was significantly lower in the AMS + group [−5.7 % (21.0 %) vs. −2.5 % (17.8 %), p  = 0.016]. The AMS score was closely correlated with the hemodynamic parameters of BA and the V d_VA , PI, RI and AI of VA. Conclusion AMS is associated with alterations in cerebral hemodynamics in the posterior circulation rather than the anterior one, and is characterized by higher blood velocity with lower resistance. In addition, the asymmetry of VAs may be involved in AMS.