Failure to acclimatise to high altitude properly can result in various altitude related illnesses, of which High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPE) is of particular interest to the lung group. HAPE is a condition in which someone becomes increasingly short of breath whilst at altitude. It is a very serious condition that if left untreated can lead to death.

We used echocardiography (an ultrasound machine that can see the heart and its blood vessels in great detail) to measure changes in the pressure within major blood vessels as climbers worked their way up the mountain. The way in which these pressures change when the climber is exposed to high altitude will provide important information as to the reason why HAPE occurs.

Using information about genes, which we collected from trekkers and climbers, it may be possible to identify genetic changes which predict who will develop HAPE.