Reduced oxygen availability to the tissues (hypoxia) poses numerous challenges to animal life. Hypoxia occurs as a result of diminished partial pressure of oxygen, such as occurs with increasing altitude, or reduced oxygen percentage in the air capillaries of the lung. The oxygen partial pressure drops by approximately 7 mm Hg, i.e, approximately 2.5% in the case of atmospheric oxygen, for each 1,000 m increase in altitude, and thereby reduces the amount of oxygen available to the hemoglobin in red blood cells as blood passes through the lung.
Reduced oxygen availability to the tissues (hypoxia) poses numerous challenges to animal life. Hypoxia occurs as a result of diminished partial pressure of oxygen, such as occurs with increasing altitude, or reduced oxygen percentage in the air capillaries of the lung. The oxygen partial pressure drops by approximately 7 mm Hg, i.e, approximately 2.5% in the case of atmospheric oxygen, for each 1,000 m increase in altitude, and thereby reduces the amount of oxygen available to the hemoglobin in red blood cells as blood passes through the lung.