Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
Chen-Hsu Wang, Audrey Ming-Li Fan, Chen Lin and Cheng-Deng Kuo
Background: People often feel comfort and relaxation during low-altitude mountain tourism below 1500 meters above sea level (MASL). But the real effects of low-altitude mountain tourism on humans are not well understood.
Methods: Three different low-altitude locations (30, 520 and 1080 MASL) were chosen for Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and hemodynamic analyses in 49 healthy adults.
Results: The Heart Rate (HR) and Blood Pressures (BP) were decreased, whereas the Standard Deviation (SDRR) and Coefficient of Variation (CVRR) of RR intervals, Total Power (TP), Low-Frequency Power (LFP) and High-Frequency Power (HFP) of HRV were increased at 520 and 1080 MASL, as compared with those at 30 MASL. The age of subjects correlated negatively with SDRR, CVRR, TP and HFP, and correlated positively with normalized very-low-frequency power as altitude increased. Male subjects had a higher SDRR, CVRR, TP and LFP at 520 MASL, and a lower Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) at 1080 MASL. The SBP, mean arterial blood pressure and pulse pressure were significantly decreased when the old subjects ascended from 30 MASL to a higher altitude. This phenomenon was not found in the young subjects. The BP of the old subjects can be decreased to more extent than the young subjects by traveling in the low-altitude mountain area.
Conclusion: Low-altitude wilderness tourism within 1080 MASL can lead to a decrease in HR and BP, and an increase in overall HRV. The greatest decrease in HR and BP and the greatest increase in overall HRV occur at around 520 MASL. Male subjects have higher overall HRV and low-frequency components than females at 520 MASL. Travel in low-altitude mountain area may be good to physiological fitness for healthy adults in terms of automatic nervous modulation and blood pressure regulation, especially in the older people.