A 47-year-old member asked:
can living at a higher altitude cause spontaneous pneumothorax?
2 doctor answers
Dr. Stephen Siegel answered
38 years experience Pulmonology
No: Pneumothorax is a risk with barotrauma occurring during rapid changes in pressure causing the lung to overexpand. For example if a scuba diver is at depth takes a deep breath and comes up from the high pressure depth to low pressure at surface, the lungs will overexpand. As pressure decreases, volume of air in lungs increase>barotrauma. Living at constant pressure at high altitude is ok.
Answered on Dec 25, 2020
4
4 thanks
Dr. Loki Skylizard answered
20 years experience Thoracic Surgery
Generally no.: Living at higher altitude is not regarded as an independent risk factor for spontaneous pneumothorax. The risk factors for primary and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (sp) include: smoking (including marijuana), tall thin stature in otherwise healthy, connective tissue disorders, pregnancy, familial history. Lung inflammation is also hypothesized to be important.
Answered on Dec 9, 2013
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A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Prashant Sinha answered
19 years experience General Surgery
Slightly: Once your heart, blood and lungs have acclimatized there should only be minimal if any additional risk. The only time of increased risk is the initial ... Read More
2
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A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Robert Kwok answered
33 years experience Pediatrics
Maybe ok, if treated: A person with a tendency to get a pneumothorax (meaning one has already had a pneumothorax before, or one has medical conditions that could lead to a ... Read More
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A male asked:
Dr. Clarence Grim answered
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Pneumothorax: Can traveling (driving) to places of higher elevation cause a recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax? Somewhere around 6000 to 8000 foot difference? ANS: ... Read More
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A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Stuart Wasser answered
35 years experience Addiction Medicine
Unlikely: Never heard of this.
1
1 thank
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