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https://doi.org/10.3357/ASEM.3162.2012
Title: | Transient immune impairment after a simulated long-haul flight | Authors: | Wilder-Smith, A. Mustafa, F.B. Peng, C.M. Earnest, A. Koh, D. Lin, G. Hossain, I. Macary, P.A. |
Keywords: | Air travel Common cold Immune markers Respiratory infections Stress markers |
Issue Date: | Apr-2012 | Citation: | Wilder-Smith, A., Mustafa, F.B., Peng, C.M., Earnest, A., Koh, D., Lin, G., Hossain, I., Macary, P.A. (2012-04). Transient immune impairment after a simulated long-haul flight. Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine 83 (4) : 418-423. ScholarBank@NUS Repository. https://doi.org/10.3357/ASEM.3162.2012 | Abstract: | Introduction: Almost 2 billion people travel aboard commercial airlines every year, with about 20% developing symptoms of the common cold within 1 wk after air travel. We hypothesize that hypobaric hypoxic conditions associated with air travel may contribute to immune impairment. Methods: We studied the effects of hypobaric hypoxic conditions during a simulated flight at 8000 ft (2438 m) cruising altitude on immune and stress markers in 52 healthy volunteers (mean age 31) before and on days 1, 4, and 7 after the flight. We did a cohort study using a generalized estimating equation to examine the differences in the repeated measures. Results: Our findings show that the hypobaric hypoxic conditions of a 10-h overnight simulation flight are not associated with severe immune impairment or abnormal IgA or cortisol levels, but with transient impairment in some parameters: we observed a transient decrease in lymphocyte proliferative responses combined with an upregulation in CD69 and CD14 cells and a decrease in HLA-DR in the immediate days following the simulated flight that normalized by day 7 in most instances. Discussion: These transient immune changes may contribute to an increased susceptibility to respiratory infections commonly seen after long-haul flights. © by the Aerospace Medical Association, Alexandria, VA. | Source Title: | Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine | URI: | http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/108822 | ISSN: | 00956562 | DOI: | 10.3357/ASEM.3162.2012 |
Appears in Collections: | Staff Publications |
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