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Pulmonary Problems in Pregnancy pp 27–35Cite as

High Altitude, Chronic Hypoxia, and Pregnancy

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Part of the book series: Respiratory Medicine ((RM))

Although placental and pregnancy physiology are not the focus of this book, many patients and their providers have concerns about the potential impact of altitude on fetal oxygenation. Understanding the effect of high altitude on the placenta and the potential adverse effects on the pregnancy and the fetus may help the clinician appreciate the potential effects of some advanced lung diseases and chronic hypoxia on the pregnancy and the fetus. This chapter is a succinct review of the effect of high altitude on lung function in pregnancy and placental complications.

The most obvious effect of high altitude on pregnancy outcomes is chronic hypoxia. High altitude associated chronic hypoxia affects 140 million persons in the world living at 8,000 feet or higher. This makes hypoxia at high altitude in pregnancy the most common etiology of maternal-fetal hypoxia ( 1 ).

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  1. Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Women & Infants Hospital, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, 100 Dudley Street, Providence, RI 02905, USA

    Ghada Bourjeily MD

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  1. Ghada Bourjeily MD
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    © 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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    Bourjeily, G. (2009). High Altitude, Chronic Hypoxia, and Pregnancy. In: Rosene-Montella, K., Bourjeily, G. (eds) Pulmonary Problems in Pregnancy. Respiratory Medicine. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-445-2_3

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-445-2_3

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    • Print ISBN: 978-1-934115-12-1

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