Recent updates on sickness during acute high-altitude hypoxic exposure and its management

Abstract

Chronic and intermittent hypoxia are the two different modalities of developing high-altitude(HA) sickness when an individual is exposed to varying environmental conditions. Exposure to this unusual environment has a great impact on cellular pathophysiology and molecular signaling. The severity of the physiological condition relays on the time and duration of stay at a particular altitude and the workload on an individual. The cellular homeostasis shows a variable trend in different tissues and at the systematic level which needs an in-depth understanding of the possible pharmacological and nonpharmacological management that will be helpful to overcome stressful conditions. In this review article, we have summarized the altered signaling and molecular pathways during chronic and intermittent hypoxia from reported in vitro and in vivo studies on high-altitude exposure and available management strategies.