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]