Chantel's interview
What did you hope to learn from the study?
We work with children who have conditions such as asthma or cystic fibrosis as well as babies born very prematurely and children who require help with breathing (e.g. from a ventilator).
Each child reacts differently, some cope relatively well with lower oxygen levels whilst some really suffer.
We wanted to know why some children react differently, what the range of reactions was and how similar this was to how adults respond, so that we can use this knowledge to find better treatments.
Download Chantel's full interview here
Key findings:
In healthy children, aged 6-13 years, there is a significant drop in oxygen saturation levels from an average of 98.5% at sea level to 89% at an altitude of 3,450m (2.14 miles or 11,300 feet). There is however marked variability between individual children, values at altitude ranging from 85-92%.
After spending one week at altitude, oxygen levels rise by, on average, 3%, showing a similar pattern of acclimatisation to that observed in adults.
Apart from minor symptoms of headache and mild nausea, the children remained well to an altitude of 3,450m. Scoring systems to detect signs of mountain sickness in adults were, however, found to be unreliable in children.
Lung function decreased by, on average, 5% at altitude, ranging from no change to a drop of 1/5th of that measured at sea level.
