Oxygen Transport at High Altitudes

• Sea level ppO_2: air is 20kPa and 13kPa in our alveoli, blood Hb almost completely saturated but at 6500m the ppO_2 is only 10kPa in the air and 5.3kPa in the alveoli, only 70% saturated
• Causes altitude sickness; symptoms include: increase in breathing rate and depth, weakness/dizziness, disorientation due to arteriole dilation in brain, increases blood flow, fluid leakage in brain and lung tissue and death
• Body is able to adapt if increase in altitude is carried out gradually; number of erythrocytes increases from 40-50% of blood to 50-70% of blood over a period of a few weeks
• People and animals living at high altitudes from birth are physiologically adapt to low ppO_2: Broader chests (larger lung capacity), larger hearts (particularly in the right side) and increased Hb