090-0 NEW RISK FACTORS FOR CHRONIC MOUNTAIN SICKNESS? Fabiola Leén-Velarde S. Department of Biological and Physiological Sciences, Sci- once and Philosophy Faculty, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru Chronic mountain sickness (CMS) is a maladaptive syn- drome that is characterized by excessive erythrocytosis (EE; [Hb] > 21.3 g/dL.).and severe hypoxemia. This syndrome is associated with neurological symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, somnolence, and sleep and memory alterations, and in some cases pulmonary hypertension. CMS affects people who reside above 2500 m, and it is estimated that on average 5—10% of the world’s high altitude population de- velop this condition. At the Tibetan Plateau the prevalence of CMS has been found between 1.5% and 10%, depending on. the ethnicity, These figires are low compared to those found in the Andes, where the prevalence of CMS is ap- proximately 16% and it can rise up to 30% during the fifth decade of age. The variability in the prevalence of CMS depends on several factors, which include genetic adapta- tion, environmental factors, and lifestyle. The classic risk factors for the development of CMS include previous/fam- ily history of CMS, altitude and'time of residence, male gender, age, overweight/obesity, postmenopause, and presence of pulmonary dysfunction and sleep disorder: Nevertheless, recent studies have revealed new physio- logical parameters associated with this syndrome. These studies have shown that the presence of hypertension, dys- lipidemia, and metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in CMS patients when compared to healthy high altitude na- tives. This new evidence suggests that there might be other risk factors involved in the pathogenesis of CMS, although the direction of the causality is yet to be determined, which raises the following question: Are these new risk factors for the development of CMS or a possible consequence of this syndrome?098-0 NEW RISK FACTORS FOR CHRONIC MOUNTAIN SICKNESS? Fabiola Leén-Velarde 8. Department of Biological and Physiological Sciences, Sci- once and Philosophy Faculty, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru Chronic mountain sickness (CMS) is a maladaptive syn- drome that is characterized by excessive erythrocytosis (EE; [Hb] > 21.3 g/dL). and severe hypoxemia. This syndrome is associated with neurological symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, somnolence, and sleep and memory alterations, and in some cases pulmonary hypertension. CMS affects people who reside above 2500 m, and it is estimated that on average 510% of the world’s high altitude population de- velop this condition. At the Tibetan Plateau the prevalence of CMS has been found between 1.5% and 10%, depending on the ethnicity. These figtires are low compared to those found in the Andes, where the prevalence of CMS is ap- proximately 16% and it can rise up to 30% during the fifth decade of age. The variability in the prevalence of CMS depends on several factors, which include genetic adapta~ tion, environmental factors, and lifestyle. The classic risk factors for the development of CMS include previous/fam- ily history of CMS, altitude and’ time of residence, male gender, age, overweight/obesity, postmenopause, and presence of pulmonary dysfunction and sleep disorder: Nevertheless, recent studies have revealed new physio- logical parameters associated with this syndrome. These studies have shown that the presence of hypertension, dys- lipidemia, and metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in CMS patients when compared to healthy high altitude na- tives. This new evidence suggests that there might be other risk factors involved in the pathogenesis of CMS, although the direction of the causality is yet to be determined, which raises the following question: Are these new risk factors for the development of CMS or a possible consequence of this syndrome?