Dissertation Research: Hormones and Differential Susceptibility to Chronic Mountain Sickness

慢性高原病(CMS)通常是一种致命的疾病，其特征是呼吸困难、血氧水平低、红细胞过多和肺血管高压。人们在海拔9000英尺以上生活多年后会患上CMS。这项研究旨在确定性激素(睾酮、雌激素和黄体酮)是否通过对红细胞生成和呼吸的影响增加男性的风险，还是保护女性免受CMS的影响。40名CMS患者和居住在科罗拉多州莱德维尔(10,150英尺)的同等年龄的健康人将接受检查，以确定：(1)CMS患者的血氧水平是否较低；(2)刺激红细胞生成的激素促红细胞生成素是否与血氧和性激素水平有关；(3)血氧和激素水平是否与这些男性和女性的红细胞数量有关。这些信息将提高我们对CMS的原因、人们适应高海拔生活压力的方式的理解，并使我们能够估计CMS在科罗拉多州的患病率和风险。

Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS) is an often fatal condition characterized by poor breathing, low blood oxygen levels, too many red blood cells, and high pressure in blood vessels of the lung. People develop CMS after years of life at altitudes above 9000 ft. This study is designed to determine whether sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen and progesterone), through their effects on red blood cell production and breathing, increase the risk for men or give women protection from developing CMS. Forty persons with CMS and an equal group of similarly-aged healthy persons living in Leadville, CO (10,150 feet) will be examined to determine: (1) whether blood oxygen levels are lower in men and women with CMS; (2) whether the hormone, erythropoietin, which stimulates red blood cell production, is related to blood oxygen and sex hormone levels; and (3) whether blood oxygen and hormone levels relate to the numbers of red blood cells in these men and women. This information will improve our understanding of the causes of CMS, the ways in which people adapt to the stress of living at high altitudes, and permit estimates of CMS prevalence and risk in Colorado.