AMS (acute mountain sickness), a vascular occlusive disease

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Biophysics
• Altitude Medicine

Background:

• Altitude sickness (AMS) may stem from vascular issues.
• Decompression-inducible platelet aggregation (DIPA) is a potential cause of vascular occlusion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mechanism of DIPA.
• To identify potential preventative or therapeutic agents for DIPA and AMS.

Main Methods:

• Ex vivo experiments simulating high-altitude pressure (253 torr).
• Investigated DIPA's independence from PO2.
• Tested inhibition of DIPA by menthol, thymol, piracetam, and pentoxifylline.

Main Results:

• Decompression accelerates fibrin polymerization, while compression decelerates it.
• DIPA occurred independently of oxygen partial pressure (PO2) at 253 torr.
• Menthol, thymol, piracetam, and pentoxifylline inhibited ex vivo DIPA.

Conclusions:

• Decompression alone can induce platelet aggregation due to pressure-volume changes.
• DIPA can be prevented or reversed by recompression and agents with large electric dipole moments.
• Findings may aid in vivo DIPA investigations for AMS prevention and alleviation.