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Adrenal, thyroid and gonadal axes are affected at high altitude
- Source :
- Endocrine Connections, Endocrine Connections, Vol 7, Iss 10, Pp 1081-1089 (2018), von Wolff, M.; Nakas, Christos T.; Wolf, Marlene; Merz, Tobias; Hilty, M P; Veldhuis, J D; Huber, A R; Pichler Hefti, Jacqueline Renée (2018). Adrenal, thyroid and gonadal axes are affected at high altitude. Endocrine Connections, 7(10), pp. 1081-1089. BioScientifica 10.1530/EC-18-0242
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- BioScientifica, 2018.
-
Abstract
- Humans cannot live at very high altitude for reasons, which are not completely understood. Since these reasons are not restricted to cardiorespiratory changes alone, changes in the endocrine system might also be involved. Therefore, hormonal changes during prolonged hypobaric hypoxia were comprehensively assessed to determine effects of altitude and hypoxia on stress, thyroid and gonadal hypothalamus–pituitary hormone axes. Twenty-one male and 19 female participants were examined repetitively during a high-altitude expedition. Cortisol, prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), fT4 and fT3 and in males follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and total testosterone were analysed as well as parameters of hypoxemia, such as SaO2 and paO2 at 550 m (baseline) (n = 40), during ascent at 4844 m (n = 38), 6022 m (n = 31) and 7050 m (n = 13), at 4844 m (n = 29) after acclimatization and after the expedition (n = 38). Correlation analysis of hormone concentrations with oxygen parameters and with altitude revealed statistical association in most cases only with altitude. Adrenal, thyroid and gonadal axes were affected by increasing altitude. Adrenal axis and prolactin were first supressed at 4844 m and then activated with increasing altitude; thyroid and gonadal axes were directly activated or suppressed respectively with increasing altitude. Acclimatisation at 4844 m led to normalization of adrenal and gonadal but not of thyroid axes. In conclusion, acclimatization partly leads to a normalization of the adrenal, thyroid and gonadal axes at around 5000 m. However, at higher altitude, endocrine dysregulation is pronounced and might contribute to the physical degradation found at high altitude.
- Subjects :
- medicine.medical_specialty
prolactin
endocrine system
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
030209 endocrinology & metabolism
610 Medicine & health
follicle-stimulation hormone
cortisol
Acclimatization
lcsh:Diseases of the endocrine glands. Clinical endocrinology
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Endocrinology
Internal medicine
Internal Medicine
medicine
Endocrine system
030212 general & internal medicine
lcsh:RC648-665
business.industry
TSH
Research
Thyroid
Hypoxia (medical)
Effects of high altitude on humans
hypobaric hypoxia
Prolactin
1310 Endocrinology
2712 Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
medicine.anatomical_structure
2724 Internal Medicine
testosterone
luteinizing hormone
fT4
fT3
medicine.symptom
10023 Institute of Intensive Care Medicine
Luteinizing hormone
business
Hormone
altitude
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Endocrine Connections, Endocrine Connections, Vol 7, Iss 10, Pp 1081-1089 (2018), von Wolff, M.; Nakas, Christos T.; Wolf, Marlene; Merz, Tobias; Hilty, M P; Veldhuis, J D; Huber, A R; Pichler Hefti, Jacqueline Renée (2018). Adrenal, thyroid and gonadal axes are affected at high altitude. Endocrine Connections, 7(10), pp. 1081-1089. BioScientifica 10.1530/EC-18-0242 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1530/EC-18-0242>
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b0a7b90aa311ff2e43a32b3f22140549
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.7892/boris.122371