Effect of Acute Hypoxia on RIght VEntRicular Function in Asthma.

More and more people are engaging in sports in the mountains, including individuals with heart or lung diseases. At the same time, such diseases are becoming more common in Switzerland. At high altitude, less oxygen is available, which places stress on the body-particularly on the heart, which has to pump blood through the lungs. How the heart, especially the right ventricle, in people with asthma responds to this stress is still not well understood.

Therefore, this study investigates how the heart responds to simulated altitudes of 2,500 m and 4,000 m, both at rest and during light physical activity in patients with asthma. The primary objective is to assess how right ventricular function changes under conditions of reduced oxygen availability.

In addition, vital signs, changes in blood gases, oxygen levels in blood and tissue and shortness of breath are assessed. The "altitude" is simulated using a special gas mixture that participants inhale. Participants undergo three altitude conditions (490, 2,500, and 4,000 m above sea level). The order of the altitude conditions is assigned at random.

The aim is to better understand how the right ventricle and other parameters respond to low-oxygen conditions and how affected patients can be better supported in the future.