TY - JOUR
T1 - Epo production at altitude in elite endurance athletes is not associated with the sea level hypoxic ventilatory response
AU - Chapman, Robert F.
AU - Stray-Gundersen, James
AU - Levine, Benjamin D.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by US Olympic Committee grant SST97-ATH-007 , a grant from USA Track and Field Men's and Women's Development Committees , and institutional support from Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and Indiana University .
PY - 2010/11
Y1 - 2010/11
N2 - The level of circulating erythropoietin (EPO) in response to a fixed level of hypoxia shows substantial inter-individual variability, the source of which is undetermined. Arterial PO2 at altitude is regulated in part by the hypoxic ventilatory response, which also shows a wide inter-individual variability. We asked if the ventilatory response to hypoxia is related to the magnitude of EPO release at moderate altitude. Twenty-six national class US distance runners (17 M, 9 F) participated in a test of isocapnic hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) at sea level, 2-7 days prior to departure to altitude. EPO measures were obtained at sea level and after 20h at 2500m. HVR for all subjects was 0.21±0.16Lmin-1%SaO2-1 (range 0.01-0.61Lmin-1%SaO2-1), with no significant difference between men and women. EPO was significantly increased from pre-altitude (8.6±2.6ngml-1, range 4.0-14.6ngml-1) to acute altitude (16.6±4.4ngml-1, range 5.0-27.0ngml-1), an increase of 92.2±70.1%. There was no significant sex difference in the EPO increase. ΔEPO for all subjects was not correlated with HVR (r=-0.17). Similarly, a statistically or physiologically significant correlation was not present between ΔEPO and HVR within the group of men (r=-0.22) or women (r=-0.19). The variability in the acute EPO response to moderate altitude is not explained by differences in peripheral chemoresponsiveness in elite distance runners. These results suggest that factors acting downstream from the lung influence the magnitude of the acute EPO response to altitude.
AB - The level of circulating erythropoietin (EPO) in response to a fixed level of hypoxia shows substantial inter-individual variability, the source of which is undetermined. Arterial PO2 at altitude is regulated in part by the hypoxic ventilatory response, which also shows a wide inter-individual variability. We asked if the ventilatory response to hypoxia is related to the magnitude of EPO release at moderate altitude. Twenty-six national class US distance runners (17 M, 9 F) participated in a test of isocapnic hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) at sea level, 2-7 days prior to departure to altitude. EPO measures were obtained at sea level and after 20h at 2500m. HVR for all subjects was 0.21±0.16Lmin-1%SaO2-1 (range 0.01-0.61Lmin-1%SaO2-1), with no significant difference between men and women. EPO was significantly increased from pre-altitude (8.6±2.6ngml-1, range 4.0-14.6ngml-1) to acute altitude (16.6±4.4ngml-1, range 5.0-27.0ngml-1), an increase of 92.2±70.1%. There was no significant sex difference in the EPO increase. ΔEPO for all subjects was not correlated with HVR (r=-0.17). Similarly, a statistically or physiologically significant correlation was not present between ΔEPO and HVR within the group of men (r=-0.22) or women (r=-0.19). The variability in the acute EPO response to moderate altitude is not explained by differences in peripheral chemoresponsiveness in elite distance runners. These results suggest that factors acting downstream from the lung influence the magnitude of the acute EPO response to altitude.
KW - Arterial oxygen saturation
KW - Elite endurance athletes
KW - Female athletes
KW - Renal
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jsams.2010.02.001
DO - 10.1016/j.jsams.2010.02.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 20359949
AN - SCOPUS:77958463961
SN - 1440-2440
VL - 13
SP - 624
EP - 629
JO - Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
JF - Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
IS - 6
ER -