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Short-term exposure to hypoxia for work and leisure activities in health and disease: which level of hypoxia is safe?

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Abstract

Introduction

Exposures to natural and simulated altitudes entail reduced oxygen availability and thus hypoxia. Depending on the level of hypoxia, the duration of exposure, the individual susceptibility, and preexisting diseases, health problems of variable severity may arise. Although millions of people are regularly or occasionally performing mountain sport activities, are transported by airplanes, and are more and more frequently exposed to short-term hypoxia in athletic training facilities or at their workplace, e.g., with fire control systems, there is no clear consensus on the level of hypoxia which is generally well tolerated by human beings when acutely exposed for short durations (hours to several days).

Conclusions

Available data from peer-reviewed literature report adaptive responses even to altitudes below 2,000 m or corresponding normobaric hypoxia (FiO2 > 16.4%), but they also suggest that most of exposed subjects without severe preexisting diseases can tolerate altitudes up to 3,000 m (FiO2 > 14.5%) well. However, physical activity and unusual environmental conditions may increase the risk to get sick. Large interindividual variations of responses to hypoxia have to be expected, especially in persons with preexisting diseases. Thus, the assessment of those responses by hypoxic challenge testing may be helpful whenever possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sport Science, Medical Section, University of Innsbruck, Fürstenweg 185, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Martin Burtscher, Klemens Mairer, Maria Wille, Hannes Gatterer, Gerhard Ruedl & Martin Faulhaber

  2. Austrian Society for Mountain Medicine, Innsbruck, Austria

    Martin Burtscher, Martin Faulhaber & Günther Sumann

  3. Institute of Anaesthesiology, General Hospital, Vöcklabruck, Austria

    Günther Sumann

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  1. Martin Burtscher
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  2. Klemens Mairer
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Correspondence to Martin Burtscher.

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Burtscher, M., Mairer, K., Wille, M. et al. Short-term exposure to hypoxia for work and leisure activities in health and disease: which level of hypoxia is safe?. Sleep Breath 16, 435–442 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-011-0521-1

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