Asthama at high altitude

breadmonkey

I was reading information on altitude sickness and was surprised to come across the following:

Asthma might also be confused with HAPE. Fortunately, asthmatics seem to do better at altitude than at sea-level. If you think it's asthma, try asthma medications, but if the person does not improve fairly quickly assume it is HAPE and treat it accordingly.

I had assumed that high altitude might exacerbate asthma. Can anyone explain why what is stated in the above quote might be the case?

Original web page here: http://www.ismmed.org/np_altitude_tutorial.htm

SomeDose

I'm not sure why asthmatics would perform better at altitude than sea-level, although hazarding a total guess might be that it works in a similar way to nasal congestion. In this case, dilation of mucosal blood vessels causes oedema and the nasal passages become blocked. Decongestants such as ephedrine work by vasoconstriction of said blood vessels and thus the nasal passages open again. In the article the author mentions that hypoxia can cause vasoconstriction in the lungs so maybe, in a similar manner to the nasal passages, this may result in a natural bronchodilatory effect in the lungs.

Or I could be talking total codswallop.

Clearly, if it was an asthma attack, it would be reversible by admin of bronchodilators. Otherwise, get down off the mountain sharpish!