Browsing by Autor "Lida Sanchez"

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COVID-19 Mortality Is Attenuated at High Tropical and Subtropical Altitude: An Observational Study of a Database Covering Five Latin American Countries
(European Society of Medicine, 2023) Natalia Zubieta DeUrioste; Christian Reyes; Lida Sanchez; Nestor Subieta; Alfredo Merino‐Luna; Iván Solarte; Raffo Escalante-Kanashiro; José Suazo; E Poma; R.D. Aguilar
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-COV-2 virus, has had devastating consequences worldwide. Remarkably, the incidence, virus transmission capacity, and severity of COVID-19 have been reported to be significantly decreased in high-altitude human populations. The clinical significance of these findings is enormous, as they suggest that permanent inhabitants of high altitudes have developed adaptive protective changes against certain pathologies. However, these observations have been overshadowed by contradictory reports on the COVID-19 mortality rate at high altitude, ascribed to low population densities. These interpretations, however, fail to consider that the environmental conditions of high-altitude regions of the temperate and tropical geographical zones are radically different from each other. Contrary to common thought, the conditions of high-altitude areas of countries within the tropical zone are so benign that they have favored the growth and development of densely populated cities. In this work, we use data from a COVID-19 database covering five Latin American countries in the tropical and subtropical geographic zone that corresponded to the period between the start of the pandemic and the end of 2020, when no vaccine was yet available. Our results reveal that residing above 1,000 m in tropical countries was a protective factor against COVID-19 mortality. Interestingly, this protective effect was independent of population size. The findings presented here, and those from other similar studies, substantiate the need for more research to reveal the secrets of the physiology of permanent high-altitude residents. In conclusion, our findings clearly demonstrate that the high-altitude environment in tropical and subtropical geographic zones significantly contributes to the decreased mortality impact of the SARS-COV-2 virus in high-altitude-exposed populations.
Impact of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Use in Subjects With COVID-19 ARDS at High Altitudes: Clinical Presentation and Prognostic Factors
(American Association for Respiratory Care, 2023) Daniel Molano-Franco; Antonio Viruez‐Soto; Mario Gómez; Edgar Beltrán; Mario Villabon; Ángela Sosa; Leidy Ortiz; Estefania Orozco; Alejandra Hurtado; Lida Sanchez
High-altitude subjects treated with HFNC for COVID-19 showed a high risk of respiratory failure and progressive hypoxemia when F<sub>IO<sub>2</sub></sub> requirements were > 0.8 after 24 h of treatment. In these subjects, personalized management should include continuous monitoring of individual clinical conditions (such as oxygenation indices, with cutoffs adapted to those corresponding to high-altitude cities).
Pneumonia is the Leading Cause of Death from Respiratory Diseases at High Altitude In La Paz, Bolivia
(2024) Gonzales Marcelino; Casto Navia; Carlos Tamayo; Martin Villarroel; Aïda Bairam; Lida Sanchez; Christian Arias‐Reyes; Jorge Soliz
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are major contributors to mortality resulting from respiratory diseases among sea-level populations. In high altitude environments, located between 2500 and 3600 meters, where oxygen availability decreases (hypoxia), pulmonary edema has been identified as the main cause of mortality among transient visitors to such high regions. However, despite the existence of physiological adaptations among permanent residents of high altitudes (characterized by increased ventilation, increased red blood cell counts, vasodilation, and an increased muscle contraction pump), extensive research on fatal respiratory diseases that prevalence in this demographic remains low. In this research effort, we analyzed 1,214 mortality records from 2017 in La Paz, Bolivia (located at 3,600 meters). Our results indicate that pneumonia is the leading cause of death in these high-altitude Bolivian cities. This is in stark contrast to pneumonia's position as the fourth leading cause of death at sea level, accentuating the distinctive health challenges faced by populations residing at high altitudes.