Assessment of altitude induced effects on serum liver function, renal function and lipid profile within the population of Gilgit Baltistan’s District Gamba, reporting to Combined Military Hospital Skardu

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate impact of high altitude on various parameters of Liver Function Tests, Renal Function Tests, and Lipid profiles in local population reporting to CMH Skardu. Material and Methods: This Cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the department of pathology of CMH Skardu from January 2023 to August 2023. Participants underwent a comprehensive medical examination. Serum samples were obtained for the assessment of Liver Function Tests (LFTs), Renal Function Tests (RFTs) and lipid profiles of patients in clot activator vaccutainers and analyzed on Selectra Pro XI by their respective spectrophotometric methods. One way ANOVA and Pearson correlation were used to statistical analysis between different groups according to altitude and p value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The study involved 150 participants, with ages ranging from 28 to 71 years with the mean age of 46.5 ±10.71 years. Altitude varied between 1700 and 2500 meters among participants with mean altitude of 2018.6±21.9 meters. A total of 105(70%) participants were male, and 45(30%) participants were female. Significant negative correlations were observed between altitude and ALT (-0.227, p = 0.005) and AST (-0.212, p = 0.009) For ALT, AST, ALP, BUN, TGs, HDL, and LDL, there are significant differences among groups (p-values < 0.05). For BIL and Creatinine, there are no significant differences among groups (p-values > 0.05) Conclusion: This study underscores the multifaceted nature of altitude's impact on human physiology, highlighting the need for comprehensive research to optimize health and performance in high-altitude environments. Keywords: Altitude, Gilgit, Liver Function Tests, Renal Function Tests, Lipid