I Hate Dialysis Message Board

Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Transplant Discussion => Topic started by: PrimeTimer on August 02, 2017, 09:19:00 PM

Title: Red Blood Cells Produced at High Elevations A Good Thing Or Not?
Post by: PrimeTimer on August 02, 2017, 09:19:00 PM

The Olympic team use to go to Colorado Springs, Colorado for high altitude training. More red blood cells are produced at higher altitudes thus, produce endurance and strength. Was wondering what they tell transplant recipients. Does high altitude help them to create more red blood cells or would having more red cells hinder the transplant process? What would more red blood cells do to the immune system of a kidney transplant? Just got to thinking and wondered if anyone has been told to try to head to higher altitudes or to avoid them. Or maybe the altitude has no effect whatsoever ?

Title: Re: Red Blood Cells Produced at High Elevations A Good Thing Or Not?
Post by: Cupcake on February 22, 2018, 07:33:11 PM

People who live at high altitudes eventually make more red cells in response to lower ambient oxygen. Not sure how long it would take to see an appreciable increase, but it would be some months for the body to crank out new cells. Those red cells are like any other, live about 120 days average. Would have nothing to do with immune cells. Not sure that answer helps.

Title: Re: Red Blood Cells Produced at High Elevations A Good Thing Or Not?
Post by: Paul on February 23, 2018, 11:26:02 AM

The oxygen is actually carried in the hemoglobin in the cells. As this is made by your kidneys I'm guessing the high altitude will not be a lot of benefit to a kidney patient unless you really amp up your EPO (and possibly not even then - I have no idea how EPO works).

Title: Re: Red Blood Cells Produced at High Elevations A Good Thing Or Not?
Post by: PrimeTimer on February 23, 2018, 06:33:49 PM

Thanks for the responses. I know it sounds silly but I was genuinely curious about the effects of high altitude.

Title: Re: Red Blood Cells Produced at High Elevations A Good Thing Or Not?
Post by: Charlie B53 on February 23, 2018, 07:30:17 PM

NO Question is bad.  Questions provoke thought.  Without thought nothing would be figured out.

So don't apologize for asking.

This simply needs to be asked of the right person.  Stimulate some thought.  Maybe begin to collect data.  I am sure there are Dialysis Clinics and Patients already living at elevations such as Denver that may be able to address this question.  Or at least begin to look at data and get and idea if there is a positive difference.

Any one out there around Denver?