High-altitude flatus expulsion

High-altitude flatus expulsion (HAFE) is a gastrointestinal syndrome which involves the spontaneous passage of increased quantities of rectal gases at high altitudes.^[1]

Syndrome

High-altitude flatus expulsion was first described by Joseph Hamel in c. 1820^[2] and occasionally described afterward.^[3] A landmark study of this phenomenon was published in 1981 by Paul Auerbach and York Miller.^[1]

The feeling of fullness or need to expel brought on by this differential in atmospheric pressure has been verified by studies involving military pilots subjected to pressure changes simulating flight.^[4]

See also

• High-altitude pulmonary edema
• High-altitude cerebral edema