altitude sickness
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AI overview
Altitude sickness is a condition where your body reacts negatively to being at high elevations, typically because there is less oxygen available in the air as you go higher. It matters because it can affect anyone traveling to high-altitude locations and can range from mild symptoms like headaches and nausea to more serious conditions that require immediate medical attention.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Other names
- High-altitude sickness, altitude illness, hypobaropathy, altitude bends, soroche
- Specialty
- Emergency medicine
- Symptoms
- Headache , vomiting , feeling tired , trouble sleeping , dizziness
- Complications
- High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE)
- Usual onset
- Within 24 hours
- Types
- Acute mountain sickness, high-altitude pulmonary edema , high-altitude cerebral edema , chronic mountain sickness
- Causes
- Low amounts of oxygen at high elevation
- Risk factors
- Prior episode, high degree of activity, rapid increase in elevation
- Diagnostic method
- Based on symptoms
- Differential diagnosis
- Exhaustion , viral infection, hangover , dehydration , carbon monoxide poisoning
- Prevention
- Gradual ascent
Article
Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is a harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People's bodies can respond to high altitude in different ways. Symptoms of altitude sickness may include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, confusion, trouble sleeping, and dizziness. Acute mountain sickness can progress to high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) with associated shortness of breath or high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) with associated confusion. Chronic mountain sickness may occur after long-term exposure to high altitude.
Altitude sickness typically occurs only above 2,500 metres (8,000 ft), though some people are affected at lower altitudes. Risk factors include a prior episode of altitude sickness, a high degree of activity, and a rapid increase in elevation. Being physically fit does not decrease the risk. Diagnosis is based on symptoms and is supported for those who have more than a minor reduction in activities. It is recommended that at high altitude any symptoms of headache, nausea, shortness of breath, or vomiting be assumed to be altitude sickness.