Even with an Internet it seems hard to get more than bits of info on this subject.
I'm hoping to hear some real-world experience. For instance, googling shows me nothing about acclimation related to this. Makes me think its N/A. I haven't seen any numbers (such as 6000', and how long?) either.
Guess I'm hoping to hear from black elk hunters. (Surely there ARE some)
I wasn't aware that the cells could change shape. I thought that the ones that were sickle shape were that way from the get go and stayed in the same shape.
I looked up some of the stuff on line and it actually sounds like some pretty serious issues can occur with sickle cell at altitude. Might be worth contacting Dr. Strickland with regard to sickle cell issues at altitude.
After living up at 10,200' in Leadville for many years and working at 11,500' in my office at the Climax Mine, I have seen a lot of issues with how altitude affects different people. It definitely seems to exacerbate any health related issues and can happen rapidly.
I also lived and worked in Peru for three years at even higher altitudes and actually got pretty severe altitude sickness after spending several days above 14,000' when I had a cold. It can be life threatening and can be even worse with something like sickle cell that can limit your oxygen assimilation.
Good luck!
And FYI- sickle cell "trait" isn't the same as sickle cell "anemia". I think anemia can develop in people with the trait.
I also think two parents with the trait will have anemic kids. Its one of the things a pre-marriage blood test is for. I think.
"The risk of altitude-induced hypoxemia causing painful crisis was determined in a group of 45 predominantly adult patients with sickle cell disease. The patients were divided into two groups: those with hemoglobin (Hb) SS and those with Hb SC or Hb S ?-thalassemia. Altitude exposures were divided into airplane travel and mountain visits, and the latter subdivided into stays at 4,400 or 6,320 ft. The average risk of crisis was higher for both groups while in the mountains (37.9 percent and 56.6 percent, respectively) than it was during airplane travel (10.8 percent and 13.5 percent, respectively). The latter group had more splenic crises than the former group and also had a greater risk at 6,320 ft (65.9 percent) than at 4,400 ft (20.0 percent). Patients with sickle cell disease are at high risk of crisis in the mountains, and we advise those with intact spleens to breathe supplemental oxygen during air travel."
But "disease" is not "trait". That's the trouble I'm having getting info.
"Variability in the clinical severity of sickle cell diseases is often genetically determined.... It is intriguing, however that reported associations of sickle cell trait and splenic infarction have occurred exclusively in males and mostly in whites."
Check, and check, she ain't neither. May get to do this after all.
"is also essential to promote preventive measures for individuals with African or Mediterranean ancestry know their sickle cell status before traveling to places above 2,500 m."
Seems a good idea for all high-altitude hunters to know their status so they can alert docs of it in case of health troubles.
Have personally had several incidents with people working at high altitude that ended up in the hospital with major complications with internal organs - spleen, liver, lungs - and were told by their doctors to not come back up there for work.
They were Caucasian as well.
Good luck, be safe.
"Most people with SCT do not have any symptoms of SCD, although—in rare cases—people with SCT might experience complications of SCD, such as pain crises. In their extreme form, and in rare cases, the following conditions could be harmful for people with SCT:
Increased pressure in the atmosphere (which can be experienced, for example, while scuba diving). Low oxygen levels in the air (which can be experienced, for example, when mountain climbing, exercising extremely hard in military boot camp, or training for an athletic competition). Dehydration (for example, when one has too little water in the body). High altitudes (which can be experienced, for example, when flying, mountain climbing, or visiting a city at a high altitude).
More research is needed to find out why some people with SCT have complications and others do not."
Sounds to me like it is not common for people with SCT to have problems at altitude but is a possibility. I hope your trip to the high country works out BuzAL.
She hasn't had trouble flying across the country, and isn't worried in the least about heading to CO with me. It's just my problem, at this point. Where I'd like to go back to (the North Park area) would have us staying around 9000'. Maybe this time I'll stay lower for a few days before we go up for our hunting trip.
