A perspective published in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy introduces the Hypoxia Stress-induced Multi-organ Injury (HSMI) framework, which views altitude-related health conditions as interconnected manifestations of oxygen deprivation rather than separate disorders.
Proposed Framework
The HSMI framework proposes a shift from treating individual altitude illnesses separately to a unified approach emphasizing early diagnosis, prevention, and precision medicine. The framework emphasizes shared underlying biological processes triggered by hypoxia (oxygen deprivation).
Key Details
- High-altitude regions are defined as areas above 2,500 meters. Millions of people live in or visit these areas annually.
- Altitude exposure can affect the lungs, brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal system.
- Current diagnostic approaches rely on symptoms rather than objective biomarkers, which the authors state limits early detection.
"For decades, altitude-related illnesses have been treated as separate problems. HSMI shows they are interconnected responses to oxygen deprivation."
— Prof. Fengming Luo, corresponding author
Proposed Advances
The article calls for the development and integration of:
- Real-time diagnostics and advanced biomarkers
- Portable imaging technologies and continuous physiological monitoring
- Multi-omics, artificial intelligence, and predictive modeling for personalized risk assessment
- Precision therapeutics targeting the biological mechanisms of altitude-related illness
Authors and Attribution
The authors of the perspective are Wenjin Sun, Xuan Zhang, Ling Chen, Lei Chen, Cheng Deng, Shizheng Wu, and Fengming Luo from West China Hospital, Sichuan University.