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Transient immune impairment after a simulated long-haul flight.
- Source :
-
Aviation, space, and environmental medicine [Aviat Space Environ Med] 2012 Apr; Vol. 83 (4), pp. 418-23. - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- Introduction: Almost 2 billion people travel aboard commercial airlines every year, with about 20% developing symptoms of the common cold within 1 wk after air travel. We hypothesize that hypobaric hypoxic conditions associated with air travel may contribute to immune impairment.<br />Methods: We studied the effects of hypobaric hypoxic conditions during a simulated flight at 8000 ft (2438 m) cruising altitude on immune and stress markers in 52 healthy volunteers (mean age 31) before and on days 1, 4, and 7 after the flight. We did a cohort study using a generalized estimating equation to examine the differences in the repeated measures.<br />Results: Our findings show that the hypobaric hypoxic conditions of a 10-h overnight simulation flight are not associated with severe immune impairment or abnormal IgA or cortisol levels, but with transient impairment in some parameters: we observed a transient decrease in lymphocyte proliferative responses combined with an upregulation in CD69 and CD14 cells and a decrease in HLA-DR in the immediate days following the simulated flight that normalized by day 7 in most instances.<br />Discussion: These transient immune changes may contribute to an increased susceptibility to respiratory infections commonly seen after long-haul flights.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0095-6562
- Volume :
- 83
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Aviation, space, and environmental medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 22462370
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3357/asem.3162.2012