REVIEW   Free access

Minerva Medica 2025 February;116(1):43-61

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4806.24.09286-3

Copyright © 2024 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Flying to high-altitude destinations

Johannes BURTSCHER ¹, Hannes GATTERER ^{2, 3}, David NIEDERSEER ^{4, 5, 6}, Karin VONBANK ⁷, Martin BURTSCHER ⁸ ✉

¹ Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; ² Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy; ³ Institute for Sports Medicine, Alpine Medicine and Health Tourism (ISAG), UMIT TIROL-Private University for Health Sciences and Health Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria; ⁴ Hochgebirgsklink Davos, Medicine Campus Davos, Davos, Switzerland; ⁵ Christine Kühne - Center for Allergy Research and Education, Medicine Campus Davos, Davos, Switzerland; ⁶ Center for Translational and Experimental Cardiology (CTEC), Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; ⁷ Pirawarth Clinic in Vienna, Vienna, Austria; ⁸ Department Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

Every year millions of people fly to high-altitude destinations. They thereby expose themselves to specific high-altitude conditions. The hypoxic environment (low ambient oxygen availability) constitutes a major factor affecting health and well-being at high altitude. While the oxygen availability is already moderately reduced inside the aircraft cabin, this reduction becomes aggravated when leaving the plane at high-altitude destinations. Especially if not pre-acclimatized, the risk of suffering from high-altitude illnesses, e.g., acute mountain sickness, high-altitude cerebral or pulmonary edema, increases with the level of altitude. In addition, diminished oxygen availability impairs exercise tolerance, which not only limits physical activity at high altitude but may also provoke symptomatic exacerbation of pre-existing diseases. Moreover, the cold and dry ambient air and increased levels of solar radiation may contribute to adverse health effects at higher altitude. Thus, medical pre-examination and pre-flight advice, and proper preparation (pre-acclimatization, exercise training, and potentially adaptation of pharmacological regimes) are of utmost importance to reduce negative health impacts and frustrating travel experiences.

KEY WORDS: Altitude; Aircraft; Airports; Travel; Hypoxia; Disease