{"title":"High-Altitude Exposure and Diabetic Retinopathy: Unveiling the Impact and Mechanisms of Alleviation.","authors":"Haijun Gong, Qihang Zhou, Zhujue Gama, Yuqing Lan","doi":"10.1159/000535429","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>High altitude (HA) is an extremely challenging environment for millions of people who either travel to HA regions or inhabit there permanently.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Significant progress has been made over the past decades in the understanding of physiological adaptations in HA conditions, and recently, more studies regarding its influence on metabolic disease have been published. However, the effect of HA on diabetic retinopathy (DR), the leading cause of blindness, remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Key messages: </strong>The present article provides an overview of the changes in the principal physiology and clinical characteristics related to DR after HA exposure. Despite conflicting evidence, this review synthesizes the available studies and explores the potential mechanisms, such as genetic adaptations, glucose homeostasis, and related physiological changes, by which long-term exposure to HA may alleviate the progression of DR. By shedding light on this complex relationship, it also provides insights into the interplay between HA and DR, offering valuable implications for clinical practice and further research.</p>","PeriodicalId":19662,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic Research","volume":" ","pages":"76-84"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ophthalmic Research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000535429","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/12/16 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"OPHTHALMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: High altitude (HA) is an extremely challenging environment for millions of people who either travel to HA regions or inhabit there permanently.
Summary: Significant progress has been made over the past decades in the understanding of physiological adaptations in HA conditions, and recently, more studies regarding its influence on metabolic disease have been published. However, the effect of HA on diabetic retinopathy (DR), the leading cause of blindness, remains unclear.
Key messages: The present article provides an overview of the changes in the principal physiology and clinical characteristics related to DR after HA exposure. Despite conflicting evidence, this review synthesizes the available studies and explores the potential mechanisms, such as genetic adaptations, glucose homeostasis, and related physiological changes, by which long-term exposure to HA may alleviate the progression of DR. By shedding light on this complex relationship, it also provides insights into the interplay between HA and DR, offering valuable implications for clinical practice and further research.
高海拔地区(HA)对数百万前往或长期居住在该地区的人来说是一个极具挑战性的环境。过去几十年来,人们在了解高海拔条件下的生理适应方面取得了重大进展,最近,有关高海拔对代谢性疾病影响的研究也越来越多。然而,HA对糖尿病视网膜病变(DR)这一主要致盲原因的影响仍不清楚。本文概述了接触 HA 后与 DR 相关的主要生理和临床特征的变化。尽管证据相互矛盾,但这篇综述对现有研究进行了归纳,并探讨了遗传适应、葡萄糖稳态和相关生理变化等潜在机制,通过这些机制,长期暴露于 HA 可减轻 DR 的进展。通过揭示这种复杂的关系,本综述还深入探讨了 HA 与 DR 之间的相互作用,为临床实践和进一步研究提供了有价值的启示。
期刊介绍:
''Ophthalmic Research'' features original papers and reviews reporting on translational and clinical studies. Authors from throughout the world cover research topics on every field in connection with physical, physiologic, pharmacological, biochemical and molecular biological aspects of ophthalmology. This journal also aims to provide a record of international clinical research for both researchers and clinicians in ophthalmology. Finally, the transfer of information from fundamental research to clinical research and clinical practice is particularly welcome.