Abstract
The study examined the distinct and synergistic effects of hypoxia and bed rest on the erythropoietin (EPO) concentration and relative changes in plasma volume (PV). Eleven healthy male lowlanders underwent three 21-day confinement periods, in a counterbalanced order: (1) normoxic bed rest (NBR; PIO2: 133.1 ± 0.3 mmHg); (2) hypoxic bed rest (HBR; PIO2: 90.0 ± 0.4 mmHg, ambient simulated altitude of ~4000 m); and (3) hypoxic ambulation (HAMB; PIO2: 90.0 ± 0.4 mmHg). Blood samples were collected before, during (days 2, 5, 14, and 21) and 2 days after each confinement to determineEPOconcentration. Qualitative differences inPVchanges were also estimated by changes in hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration along with concomitant changes in plasma renin concentration.NBRcaused an initial reduction inEPOby ~39% (P = 0.04). By contrast,HBRenhancedEPO(P = 0.001), but the increase was less than that induced byHAMB(P < 0.01). All three confinements caused a significant reduction inPV(P < 0.05), with a substantially greater drop inHBRthan in the other conditions (P < 0.001). Thus, present results suggest that hypoxia prevents theEPOsuppression, whereas it seems to exaggerate thePVreduction induced by bed rest.