Unraveling the mechanism of high altitude pulmonary edema

During the last decade, major advances in the understanding of the mechanism of high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) have supplemented the landmark work done in the previous 30 years. A brief review of the earlier studies will be described, which will then be followed by a more complete treatise on the subsequent research, which has elucidated the role of accentuated pulmonary hypertension in the development of HAPE. Vasoactive mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1, have played a major role in this understanding and have led to preventive and therapeutic interventions. Additionally, the role of the alveolar epithelium and the Na-K ATPase pump in alveolar fluid clearance has also more recently been understood. Direction for future work will be given as well.