Daily exposure to forty percent oxygen causes a decrease in platelet count

A study was undertaken to evaluate a previous observation made in this laboratory that hyperoxic treadmill training is associated with a decrease in the circulating platelet count (PLT). The subjects studied breathed air containing 40% oxygen for 30 min/day, 5 days/week, for 6 weeks, while at rest in the seated position. Such exposure resulted in a consistent fall in PLT between day 1 and day 5 of each week (P less than .01). In addition, there was a progressive decline in PLT over the 6 weeks of exposure to the hyperoxic air, PLT being inversely correlated with the duration of hyperoxic exposure (rs = -0.886, P less than .02). The total decrease in PLT over the 6 weeks was 56 +/- 46 x 10(9) l(-1) (P less than .025). Not surprisingly, these changes were mirrored in the plateletcrit (Pct). The decrease in PLT did not appear to be secondary to either hemodilution or reduced erythropoietic stimulation. The mechanism of production and the biological significance of these changes remain to be elucidated.