Akhil Nair
Last Activity: 6 Years ago
At high altitudes, the oxygen becomes relatively rare. Lower Air pressure makes it difficult for O2 to enter our blood from lungs. body would be in great need to take in more O2 in such situations to prevent hypoxia (oxygen deprivation)
To compensate for the reduced amount of O2, our body produces more RBCs hence more haemoglobin to carry more O2.
This is fine till here. Now remember that O2 has an 'affinity' or attraction to haemoglobin at different tissue levels due to partial pressure differences. It binds tightly to haemoglobin at lung alvepialveoli-capillary level and loses it's affinity to remain bound at other tissue levels. This is how oxygen reaches different cells.
If the oxygen molecules don't unbind from haemoglobin the tissues will starve and die. A particular enzyme In the haemoglobin helps in reducing the affinity of oxygen so that the
bound acclimatization O2 molecules are released into tissues.
In short, RBCs no/haemoglobin amount goes up, new blood capillaries are formed, lungs become larger, and at the same time O2 affinity for haemoglobin decreases to create a fine balance.
This is a type of body acclimatization.
Hope it's clear.
