Is normobaric hypoxia an effective treatment for sustaining previously acquired altitude acclimatization?

This study examined whether normobaric hypoxia (NH) treatment is more efficacious for sustaining high-altitude (HA) acclimatization-induced improvements in ventilatory and hematologic responses, acute mountain sickness (AMS), and cognitive function during reintroduction to altitude (RA) than no treatment at all. Seventeen sea-level (SL) residents (age = 23 ± 6 yr; means ± SE) completed in the following order: 1) 4 days of SL testing; 2) 12 days of HA acclimatization at 4,300 m; 3) 12 days at SL post-HA acclimatization (Post) where each received either NH (n = 9, FIO2 = 0.122) or Sham (n = 8; FIO2 = 0.207) treatment; and 4) 24-h reintroduction to 4,300-m altitude (RA) in a hypobaric chamber (460 Torr). End-tidal carbon dioxide pressure (PETCO2), hematocrit (Hct), and AMS cerebral factor score were assessed at SL, on HA2 and HA11, and after 20 h of RA. Cognitive function was assessed using the SynWin multitask performance test at SL, on HA1 and HA11, and after 4 h of RA. There was no difference between NH and Sham treatment, so data were combined. PETCO2 (mmHg) decreased from SL (37.2 ± 0.5) to HA2 (32.2 ± 0.6), decreased further by HA11 (27.1 ± 0.4), and then increased from HA11 during RA (29.3 ± 0.6). Hct (%) increased from SL (42.3 ± 1.1) to HA2 (45.9 ± 1.0), increased again from HA2 to HA11 (48.5 ± 0.8), and then decreased from HA11 during RA (46.4 ± 1.2). AMS prevalence (%) increased from SL (0 ± 0) to HA2 (76 ± 11) and then decreased at HA11 (0 ± 0) and remained depressed during RA (17 ± 10). SynWin scores decreased from SL (1,615 ± 62) to HA1 (1,306 ± 94), improved from HA1 to HA11 (1,770 ± 82), and remained increased during RA (1,707 ± 75). These results demonstrate that HA acclimatization-induced improvements in ventilatory and hematologic responses, AMS, and cognitive function are partially retained during RA after 12 days at SL whether or not NH treatment is utilized.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrates that normobaric hypoxia treatment over a 12-day period at sea level was not more effective for sustaining high-altitude (HA) acclimatization during reintroduction to HA than no treatment at all. The noteworthy aspect is that athletes, mountaineers, and military personnel do not have to go to extraordinary means to retain HA acclimatization to an easily accessible and relevant altitude if reexposure occurs within a 2-wk time period.

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