Figure 6. Schematic representation of possible events occurring during HAPE.

The pathways suggested by the current data set have been integrated with established phenomenon such as pulmonary vasoconstriction, elevated pulmonary artery pressure which are known to precede HAPE. Perturbation of pathways such as those regulating vasoconstriction, inflammation, gap junctions and adhesion molecules can dysregulate vascular homeostasis leading to fluid leak and edema formation.