Lumen Summer 2014 - Flipbook - Page 13
story by Ca n d y Gib s o n
Commercial flying has become a routine mode of travel
for millions of people around the world – but have you
ever wondered what happens to your physiological
make-up when you board that flight?
A
erospace medical specialist and
Oxford-based researcher Dr Tom
Smith has devoted his career to
that very question.
The 2000 medical graduate, 2003
Rhodes Scholar and NASA-trained
clinician-scientist has scaled some
lofty heights over the past 12 years,
researching the impact of low oxygen
levels at high altitudes on the heart
and lungs.
His ûeld research has taken him to
the Peruvian Andes for experiments with
residents living in the world9s highest town,
Cerro de Pasco situated at 4340 metres
above sea level, and comparing their
heart and lung physiology with sea-level
dwellers from Lima.
Many of Cerro de Pasco9s residents live
with chronic mountain sickness because
of their failure to adjust to low oxygen
levels. They develop problems such as
excessive production of red blood cells
(polycythaemia) and excessive lung
blood pressure (pulmonary hypertension),
resulting in a shorter life span.
The Peruvian study conûrmed earlier
laboratory tests which revealed the
important role of iron in maintaining
healthy lungs by moderating blood
pressure increases when oxygen
levels are low.
