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Michael Furian,1,* Deborah Flueck,1,* Tsogyal D Latshang,1 Philipp M Scheiwiller,1 Sebastian Daniel Segitz,1 Séverine Mueller-Mottet,1 Christian Murer,1 Adrian Steiner,1 Silvia Ulrich,1 Thomas Rothe,2 Malcolm Kohler,1 Konrad E Bloch1 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 2Zuercher RehaZentrum Davos, Davos Clavadel, Switzerland *These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: To evaluate the effects of altitude travel on exercise performance and symptoms in lowlanders with COPD. Design: Randomized crossover trial. Setting: University Hospital Zurich (490 m), research facility in mountain villages, Davos Clavadel (1,650 m) and Davos Jakobshorn (2,590 m). Participants: Forty COPD patients, Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grade 2–3, living below 800 m, median (quartiles) age 67 y (60; 69), forced expiratory volume in 1 second 57% predicted (49; 70). Intervention: Two-day sojourns at 490 m, 1,650 m, and 2,590 m in randomized order. Outcome measures: Six-minute walk distance (6MWD), cardiopulmonary exercise tests, symptoms, and other health effects. Results: At 490 m, days 1 and 2, median (quartiles) 6MWD were 558 m (477; 587) and 577 m (531; 629). At 2,590 m, days 1 and 2, mean changes in 6MWD from corresponding day at 490 m were -41 m (95% CI -51 to -31) and -40 m (-53 to -27), n=40, P |
