ABSTRACT
Peruvian investigators were the first to describe the pathogenesis of chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (PH) in humans (1-4). PH is a common finding in healthy people living at high altitudes. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) is related to the level of altitude. There is a direct relationship represented by a parabolic line, so that above 3500 m there are mild to moderate degrees of PH in comparison with the normal values described at sea level. PH in healthy highlanders is an asymptomatic feature and is associated with physiological and adaptive levels of hypoxemia and polycythemia. Despite PH, hypoxemia, and polycythemia, healthy highlanders are able to perform physical activities similar to and often even more strenuous than those of people living at sea level.
