Patología del hombre nativo de las grandes alturas : Investigación de las causas de muerte en 300 autopsias

Abstract

The authors give the results of autopsies on 300 persons native to our living in the city of Cerro de Pasco, Peru, which is situated at an altitude of 14,300 ft, and in adjacent villages

With the exception of infant diseases, the most frequent causes of death are diseases of the respiratory system. Of these, pneumonia and bronchopneumonia occupy the first place, and their incidence is higher than that observed at sea-level. Among infectious diseases, tuberculosis occupies the first place. The findings also show that at high altitudes intestinal obstruction by volvulus is more frequent in adults than at sea-level

Another significant finding was the frequency in adults of vascular lesions of the central nervous system, the rate of which was higher than that observed at sea-level. In addition, hemorrohagic complication of various types of lesions, especially of the respiratory and digestive systems, both in adults and in children, are more frequent at high altitudes than at sea-level(AU)