Susan Niermeyer, P. Andrade Mollinedo, L. Huicho
University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Caja Nacional de Salud and Clínica del Sur and Clínica Alemana. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia.
United States, Bolivia and Peru
Archives of Disease in Children
Arch Dis Child 2009; 94: 806-811
DOI: 10.1136/adc.2008.141838
Abstract
The health of children born and living at high altitude is shaped not only by the low-oxygen environment, but also by population ancestry and sociocultural determinants. High altitude and the corresponding reduction in oxygen delivery during pregnancy result in lower birth weight with higher elevation. Children living at high elevations are at special risk for hypoxaemia during infancy and during acute lower respiratory infection, symptomatic high-altitude pulmonary hypertension, persistence of fetal vascular connections, and re-entry high-altitude pulmonary oedema. However, child health varies from one population group to another due to genetic adaptation as well as factors such as nutrition, intercurrent infection, exposure to pollutants and toxins, socioeconomic status, and access to medical care. Awareness of the risks uniquely associated with living at high altitude and monitoring of key health indicators can help protect the health of children at high altitude. These considerations should be incorporated into the scaling-up of effective interventions for improving global child health and survival.
Category
Class III. Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Alveolar Hypoxia
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema
Review Articles Concerning Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Age Focus: Pediatric Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Fresh or Filed Publication: Filed (PHiled). Greater than 1-2 years since publication
Article Access
Free PDF File or Full Text Article Available Through PubMed or DOI: No