Altitude Sickness

When individuals ascend into higher altitude, the body may struggle to find sufficient oxygen. While even at altitude oxygen levels remain similar to that of low altitude ranges, the air density and the number of oxygen and nitrogen molecules can decrease as altitude increases. This means less oxygen is available for inhalation and in turn less is being used by the body for mental and physical exertion. Altitude sickness occurs when the amount of oxygen in the blood reaches this level, making breathing difficult as the body struggles to inhale enough to function normally.

Altogether there are three forms of altitude sickness. These are:

• Acute mountain sickness (AMS) – No obvious symptoms up to 2500m and is equivalent to airplane pressure. This isn't considered to be fatal.
• High altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPO) – Fluid collects in the lungs, starving an individual of oxygen. This can be fatal within hours.
• High altitude cerebral oedema (HACO) – Affects internal fluids and induces a coma. Can be fatal within a few hours

As the oxygen density decreases as altitude increases, if individuals are not careful, the same process can occur inside the body. This is usually as a result of climbing into higher altitude too quickly before acclimatisation can happen, where the body would be able to adapt to the reduction in oxygen inhaled. It takes a few days for this adaptation to happen, but if not observed symptoms of altitude sickness may start presenting themselves including severe reactions if altitude continues to rise.

Symptoms may present themselves differently depending on the individual but the most recognisable symptoms are:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Exhaustion
• Dry cough
• Fever
• Shortness of breath

This situation may indicate pulmonary oedema, where the lungs are slowly beginning to fill with fluid.

In the case of cerebral oedema, where the brain begins to swell, this will present as gradual loss of consciousness, retinal haemorrhage or bleeding of the retina inside the eye and increased nausea. Both of these situations should be treated as a life-threatening emergency and medical attention should be administered immediately, coupled with descending from high altitude.

Prescription medication

The prescription medication Diamox, acetazolamide, may help prevent altitude sickness but is designed to be taken before even beginning to climb higher into altitude. It may be effective once symptoms begin to occur, but it's more effective when taken pre-emptively. The medication also needs to be used regularly during ascension.

Herbal remedies

A known natural remedy that is used for the treatment of altitude sickness is ginkgo biloba extract. However, there is an insufficient amount of evidence to prove that this herbal remedy can make a significant difference when used to treat altitude sickness. Therefore, prescription medication is still viewed by medical professionals to be the most effective form of altitude sickness available.

Listed below are some methods that can be followed to prevent the occurrence altitude sickness:

• The most effective way to prevent altitude sickness is to simply let the body acclimatise to the higher altitude before climbing further and doing any strenuous activity. Acclimatisation to effectively reduce the chances of altitude sickness and AMS usually takes between one or three days, depending on the individual.
• Alcohol should be avoided during this period as it can exacerbate the condition.
• Eat foods high in carbohydrates.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• If you experience any altitude sickness symptoms you should not climb any higher.

If you are planning on hiking or climbing in regions where you may experience altitude sickness you can buy altitude sickness tablets from OnlineClinic. The treatment we offer for altitude sickness is Diamox (Acetazolamide). This highly effective treatment guarantees that you can avoid altitude sickness, as well as the symptoms associated with the condition, such as nausea, exhaustion and shortness of breath. To order Diamox, simply complete a free online consultation procedure. For more information about this treatment please visit the Diamox product page.