What is Altitude Sickness?

The Adventure People

by The Adventure People on 3rd October 2018

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If you’ve ever watched an Everest summit documentary you’ll have been made aware of ‘Altitude Sickness’. Here in the UK altitude sickness isn’t really ‘a thing’ because the UK’s highest mountain (Ben Nevis, Scotland) is 1,340 meters high. Altitude sickness may only present itself above 3,000 meters above sea level. If you're going to trek the Everest Base Camp or the Inca trail for example, you might want to read on to get informed, but try not to have it scare you off, these are incredible adventures that deserve to be experienced. First things first, whats is Altitude Sickness? It's an illness that comes from being at high altitude, also know as Acute Mountain Sickness. However, not everyone will be affected, in fact it is impossible to tell who will be affected. Age, Sex, Physical fitness MAKE NO DIFFERENCE. You could be the finest 25 year old on the planet and still suffer from altitude sickness whilst your 75 year cold smoker grandfather is fine at 4,000 meters. Here are some symptoms from altitude sickness (its a bit like having a hangover):
  • Headache
  • Loss of appetite
  • Dizzyness
  • May vomit
  • Shortness of breath
  • It's also often worse during the night
The first bit of advise usually given in terms of medication is don’t go above 3,000 meters, which is useless if you’re going on a high altitude trek. So here is some practical advise:
  • Try to travel above 3,000 meters slowly - the shock of going above 3,000 can cause altitude sickness. So if you’re going to trek in the Andes in Peru or do the Inca trail, maybe arrive in Cusco a day or two early.
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Rest often
  • Don’t climb more than 500m per day
  • Avoid Alcohol (sorry)
There is also medication you can take if you wish: Acetazolamide - available from a clinic or your doctor can help prevent symptoms. You begin taking it 48 hours before you climb and continue throughout the trip at altitude. If symptoms persist, you should rest and / or descend. What happens if you get altitude sickness? How do you treat it…..here we go… STOP WALKING! you need a rest, so rest Try to stay where you are or descend for 24 to 48 hours to let your body recover If you have a headache take ibuprofen As above, drink water and avoid alcohol take it easy! If you do feel ill / sick, make sure you tell someone. Your judgement can become cloudy but worse, altitude sickness can become very serious and indeed life threatening if not treated, specifically HACE - High Altitude Cerebral Oedema - or swelling of the brain to you and me. As well as the above symptoms one will also:
  • have loss of co-ordination
  • Have weakness
  • Hallucinate
  • Feel confused
Then, there is HAPE - High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema - or fluid on the lungs. Symptoms are:
  • Breathing difficulty
  • Tight chest
  • Blue skin (tinges)
  • Cough
  • Weakness
In both of the above cases:
  • Get to a lower altitude immediately
  • Take Dexamethasone
  • Get oxygen
  • Go to hospital
HACE and HAPE are extreme and rare but you should at least be aware. The best thing to do to avoid altitude sickness is acclimatise which means taking your time, there is not shortcut we are sorry to say! On the guided treks we feature all guides are experts and will notice any sever altitude sickness but even though they are there to help, one should take responsibility for themselves. We hope this has been useful. If you have any questions or concerns about this please feel free to contact us at any time. 

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