Perinatal hypoxia increases susceptibility to high-altitude polycythemia and attendant pulmonary vascular dysfunction

We describe the first systematic evaluation of the relationship between perinatal hypoxia and excessive erythrocytosis in later life. Our findings suggest that adverse perinatal oxygenation raises the risk of excessive erythrocytosis accompanied by a modest elevation of systolic pulmonary artery pressure that is independent of increased blood viscosity.