High Altitude Research In India And Neighbouring Countries

Each year millions of people including Armed Force personnels, mountaineers, tourists are exposed to high altitude. Hypoxia, cold and intense solar radiations at high altitude can exert a significant impact on physiology of the human beings. China, India, Pakistan and Nepal are countries in vicinity of Himalayas. Over the years studies have been carried out to understand various aspects of high altitude acclimatization.This review attempts to estimate quantity, scope and quality of high altitude research in these four countries. A systematic search of literature was carried out in electronic databases viz. www.sciencedirect.com and www.pubmed.com with acclimatization; oxygenation; SaO2; pulmonary function; altitude maladies (acute mountain sickness, chronic mountain sickness, High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPE/HAPO)); therapeutic agents (diamox, herbal remedies, Ginkgo biloba, Panax ginseng, Hippophae rhamnoides); nutrition and genetic variation as keywords. It was observed that maximum numbers of studies on high altitude research have been carried out by China followed by Nepal, India and Pakistan. Amongst the different research areas of high altitude research, highest numbers of studies have been carried out on acclimatization followed by pulmonary function and acute mountain sickness.