Respiratory adaptation to high altitude in adolescent Bod girls of the Western Himalayas

The impact of high-altitude environment was studied on respiratory functions and body measurements in adolescent Bod girls of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Data were collected on 133 high-altitude and 141 low-altitude Bod girls in the age range 12-18 years. Lung functions were, age to age, higher in high-altitude girls than their coeval lowlanders. This has been explained as an adaptation to the stress of low atmospheric pressure at high altitude. This response is similar to the one observed in growing Bod boys living in the same area (Malik and Singh 1979, 1984). High-altitude girls were shorter and lighter, the difference was more pronounced in weight and especially after 14 years of age.