The Effect of Homeopathic Coca on High Altitude Mountain Sickness: Mt. Everest Base Camp

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary F. Shackelton ◽  
Christina M. Tondora ◽  
Susan Whiting ◽  
Michael Whitney
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Saturation ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Randomized Study ◽  
Base Camp ◽  
Group Oxygen ◽  
Difficulty Breathing ◽  
Mountain Sickness ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Experimental Group

Homeopathic coca was tested among high altitude trekkers en route to the Mt. Everest base camp to determine its effect on mountain sickness symptoms. Study participants ( n = 24) took homeopathic coca while ascending from 8,000 ft. to 17,600 ft. Measurements included: heart rate, oxygen saturation, and a question naire detailing the occurrence and severity of symptoms. Questionnaire items regarding nausea, headaches, difficulty breathing while asleep all demonstrated statistical significance in the experimental group. Oxygen saturation in the exper imental group was significantly higher. In this placebo-controlled, single-blinded, non-randomized study, homeopathic coca significantly reduced the effects of altitude on trekkers in the experimental group when compared with placebo.

Abstract 14359: Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Genes Involved in L-arginine / Dimethylarginine Metabolism Predispose for Pulmonary Hypertension and Acute Mountain Sickness at High Altitude

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane Hannemann ◽  
Julia Zummack ◽  
PATRICIA SIQUES ◽  
JULIO BRITO ◽  
Rainer Boeger
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Hypertension ◽  
Relative Risk ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Minor Allele ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Mountain Sickness ◽  
Study Participants

Introduction: Chronic (CH) and chronic-intermittent (CIH) exposure to hypoxia at high altitude causes acute or chronic mountain sickness and elevation of mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP). This is paralleled by increased plasma levels of ADMA, an endogenous inhibitor of NO synthesis. ADMA is cleaved by dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH1 and DDAH2), whilst symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is cleaved by AGXT2. Arginase (ARG1 and ARG2) competes with endothelial NO synthase (NOS3) for L-arginine as substrate. We have shown previously that baseline ADMA (at sea level) determines mPAP after six months of CIH; cut-off values of 25 mm Hg and 30 mm Hg are being used to diagnose high altitude pulmonary hypertension. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that genetic variability in genes coding for core enzymes of ADMA, SDMA, and L-arginine metabolism may predispose individuals for high altitude disease and pulmonary hypertension. Methods: We genotyped 16 common single nucleotide polymorphisms in the NOS3, DDAH1, DDAH2, AGXT2, ARG1 and ARG2 genes of 69 healthy male Chilean subjects. Study participants adhered to a CIH regimen (5d at 3,550m, 2d at sea level) for six months. Metabolites were measured by LC-MS/MS; mPAP was estimated by echocardiography at six months, and altitude acclimatization was assessed by Lake Louise Score and arterial oxygen saturation. Results: Carriers of the minor allele of DDAH1 rs233112 had a higher mean baseline ADMA level (0.76±0.03 vs. 0.67±0.02 μmol/l; p<0.05), whilst the major allele of DDAH2 rs805304 was linked to an exacerbated increase of ADMA in hypoxia (0.10±0.03 vs. 0.04±0.04 μmol/l; p<0.02). Study participants carrying the minor allele of ARG1 rs2781667 had a relative risk of elevated mPAP (>25 mm Hg) of 1.70 (1.56-1.85; p<0.0001), and carriers of the minor allele of NOS3 rs2070744 had a relative risk of elevated mPAP (>30 mm Hg) of 1.58 (1.47-1.69; p<0.0001). The NOS3 and DDAH2 genes were associated with the incidence of acute mountain sickness. Conclusions: We conclude that genetic variability in the L-arginine / ADMA / NO pathway is an important determinant of high altitude pulmonary hypertension and acute mountain sickness. DDAH1 is linked to baseline ADMA, whilst DDAH2 determines the response of ADMA to hypoxia.

scholarly journals Identifying risk factors that contribute to acute mountain sickness

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 82-86
Author(s):  
Z Mahomed ◽  
D Martin ◽  
E Gilbert ◽  
CC Grant ◽  
J Patricios ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Base Camp ◽  
Potential Risk Factors ◽  
Mountain Sickness ◽  
Physiological Risk

Background. Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is an ever-increasing burden on the health sector. With reported incidences of greater than 50%, coupled with the fact that recreational activities at high altitude are gaining increasing popularity, more persons are developing AMS. Physicians are therefore increasingly faced with the task of managing and preventing AMS.Objectives. The pathophysiology of AMS is poorly understood, with little understanding of risk factors for the development of AMS. This research aimed to identify epidemiological and physiological risk factors for development of AMS.Methods. This study is a questionnaire-based study conducted in London and at Everest Base Camp, in which 116 lowlanders were invited to participate and fill in a questionnaire to identify potential risk factors in their history that may have contributed to development of or protection against AMS.Results. A total of 89 lowlanders enrolled in the study. Thirty-seven of the participants had AMS at  Everest Base Camp, giving a prevalence of 42%. Of the demographic variables, only weight and body  mass index (BMI) were statistically significantly associated with AMS, with those who weighed less or had a lower BMI more likely to get AMS. Previous high-altitude experience was also associated with AMS, with those who had such experience less likely to get AMS.Conclusion. Predicting AMS and furthering our understanding of the pathophysiology of AMS will be of tremendous benefit. Further research is needed in this regard.

Cerebral Etiology of Acute Mountain Sickness: A Case Report

Neurosurgery ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 693-695
Author(s):  
Richard N. W. Wohns ◽  
Michael Colpitts ◽  
Tom Clement ◽  
Anton Karuza
Keyword(s):  
Case Report ◽  
Oxygen Saturation ◽  
Cerebral Edema ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Evoked Responses ◽  
Early Form ◽  
Visual Evoked Responses ◽  
Base Camp ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Mountain Sickness

Abstract The authors report a case of acute mountain sickness (AMS) experienced by a support member of the Ultima Thule Everest Expedition. The subject arrived at the 17,000-ft base camp by truck and then developed the symptoms of AMS over the following 72 hours. Flash-induced visual evoked responses (VERs), tetrapolar impedance pulmonary plethysmography, and oxygen saturation measurements were performed. These changed from normal before the onset of his symptoms to abnormal during the height of the symptoms and reverted to normal after treatment. This is the first reported case of AMS monitored with VERs. It has been postulated that AMS may be an early form of cerebral edema, and this report corroborates this hypothesis.

scholarly journals Influence of Acetazolamide on Hand Strength and Manual Dexterity During a 30-h Simulated High Altitude Exposure

2020 ◽  
Vol 185 (7-8) ◽  
pp. e1161-e1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau R Yurkevicius ◽  
Karleigh E Bradbury ◽  
Adam C Nixon ◽  
Katherine M Mitchell ◽  
Adam J Luippold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Hand Function ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Manual Dexterity ◽  
Hand Strength ◽  
Repeated Measure ◽  
Pinch Strength ◽  
Altitude Exposure ◽  
Mountain Sickness

Abstract Introduction High altitude missions pose significant challenges to Warfighter medical readiness and performance. Decreased circulating oxygen levels cause a decrease in exercise performance and can cause debilitating symptoms associated with acute mountain sickness, especially with rapid ascent. Acetazolamide (AZ) is known to minimize symptoms of acute mountain sickness, but it is unknown whether this medication alters hand strength and manual dexterity during altitude exposure. Materials and Methods Ten male volunteers (22 ± 4 yr, 75.9 ± 13.7 kg, 174.9 ± 9.3 cm) participated in two separate 30 h simulated altitude exposures (496 mmHg, equivalent to 3,500 m, 20°C, 20% RH) in a hypobaric chamber. Participants were given either a placebo or 250 mg of AZ twice daily for 3.5 d (2 sea-level [SL] days + the 30 h altitude exposure) in a randomized, single-blind, crossover design. During SL and both altitude (ALT) exposures, hand function tests were performed, including hand grip and finger pinch strength tests, as well as the Purdue Pegboard (PP) and magazine loading tests to assess manual dexterity. Paired T tests and two-way repeated measure analysis of variance were used as appropriate to evaluate the effects of AZ and ALT. The value of p &lt; 0.05 was accepted for statistical significance. Results There were no influences of acute ALT exposure or AZ treatment on hand strength (eg, grip strength; SL: 39.2 ± 5.5 kg vs. ALT: 41.5 ± 6.9 kg, p &gt; 0.05) or dexterity (eg, PPassembly; placebo: 35.5 ± 5.3 vs. AZ: 34.3 ± 4.6, p &gt; 0.05) in our volunteers. Two dexterity tests (PPsum and magazine loading) showed improvements over time at ALT, regardless of treatment, where scores were improved after 10 h of exposure compared to at 1 h (eg, magazine loading: 56 ± 12 vs. 48 ± 10, p &lt; 0.001). This pattern was not seen in the PPassembly test or any strength measurements. Conclusions Our results suggest that 500 mg/d of AZ does not influence hand strength or manual dexterity during a 30 h exposure to 3,500 m simulated ALT. Acute ALT exposure (1 h) did not influence dexterity or strength, although some measures of dexterity showed improvements as exposure time increased. We conclude that use of AZ to optimize medical readiness at ALT is unlikely to impair the Warfighter’s ability to complete mission tasks that depend on hand function.

scholarly journals Association of Falciparum Malaria and ABO Blood Group in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-13
Author(s):  
I.M. Ikeh ◽  
◽  
I.S. Achufusi ◽  
O. Aribodor ◽  
O. Okeke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Falciparum Malaria ◽  
Blood Group ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Randomized Study ◽  
Malaria Prevalence ◽  
Blood Groups ◽  
Abo Blood Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Anambra State ◽  
Study Participants

A cross-sectional randomized study was carried out to evaluate the association of falciparum malaria and ABO Blood group in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria from the months of June to August 2018. Blood samples were collected from all study participants. Thick films were made from each blood sample, stained with 10% Giemsa using standard parasitological techniques. Agglutination technique using monoclonal Anti-sera A, B, and D were used to determine the ABO blood groups. Data generated were statistically analyzed using ANOVA test and the significance level was set at P<0.05. An overall malaria prevalence of 62% was observed among study participants. Blood groups O positive and A positive had higher malaria prevalence of 48.38% and 19.35% respectively of the total population size of patients infected, while blood groups B negative and AB negative had a lower prevalence of 0% respectively. There was no statistical significance (P> 0.05). The findings of this study showed that individuals with blood group O were susceptible to contracting uncomplicated malaria but had a higher resistance to developing severe malaria compared to non-O blood groups (A and B). To this end, therefore, malaria interventions and control strategies should be directed equally among individuals irrespective of their blood groups.

Hypoxia, Hypocapnia and Spirometry at Altitude

1997 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 593-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Pollard ◽  
Peter W. Barry ◽  
Nick P. Mason ◽  
David J. Collier ◽  
Rachel C. Pollard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Saturation ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Barometric Pressure ◽  
Supplementary Oxygen ◽  
Mount Everest ◽  
Base Camp ◽  
Lower Oxygen ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
Β2 Agonist

1. Both hypoxia and hypocapnia can cause broncho-constriction in humans, and this could have a bearing on performance at high altitude or contribute to altitude sickness. We studied the relationship between spirometry, arterial oxygen saturation and end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) concentration in a group of healthy lowland adults during a stay at high altitude, and then evaluated the response to supplementary oxygen and administration of a β2 agonist 2. We collected spirometric data from 51 members of the 1994 British Mount Everest Medical Expedition at sea level (barometric pressure 101.2–101.6 kPa) and at Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal (altitude 5300 m, barometric pressure 53–54.7 kPa) using a pocket turbine spirometer. A total of 205 spirometric measurements were made on the 51 subjects during the first 6 days after arrival at Base Camp. Further measurements were made before and after inhalation of oxygen (n = 47) or a β2 agonist (n = 39). ETCO2 tensions were measured on the same day as spirometric measurements in 30 of these subjects. 3. In the first 6 days after arrival at 5300 m, lower oxygen saturations were associated with lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1; P < 0.02) and forced vital capacity (FVC; P < 0.01), but not with peak expiratory flow (PEF). Administration of supplementary oxygen for 5 min increased oxygen saturation from a mean of 81%–94%, but there was no significant change in FEV1 or FVC, whilst PEF fell by 2.3% [P < 0.001; 95% confidence intervals (CI) −4 to −0.7%]. After salbutamol administration, there was no significant change in PEF, FEV1 or FVC in 35 non-asthmatic subjects. Mean ETCO2 at Everest Base Camp was 26 mmHg, and a low ETCO2 was weakly associated with a larger drop in FVC at altitude compared with sea level (r = 0.38, P < 0.05). There was no correlation between either ETCO2 or oxygen saturation and changes in FEV1 or PEF compared with sea-level values. 4. In this study, in normal subjects who were acclimatized to hypobaric hypoxia at an altitude of 5300 m, we found no evidence of hypoxic broncho-constriction. Individuals did not have lower PEF when they were more hypoxic, and neither PEF nor FEV1 were increased by either supplementary oxygen or salbutamol. FVC fell at altitude, and there was a greater fall in FVC for subjects with lower oxygen saturations and probably lower ETCO2.

Optic nerve sheath diameter changes at high altitude and in acute mountain sickness: meta-regression analyses

2020 ◽  
pp. bjophthalmol-2020-317717
Author(s):  
Tou-Yuan Tsai ◽  
George Gozari ◽  
Yung-Cheng Su ◽  
Yi-Kung Lee ◽  
Yu-Kang Tu
Keyword(s):  
Optic Nerve ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter ◽  
Optic Nerve Sheath ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Spline Regression ◽  
Nerve Sheath ◽  
Mountain Sickness

Background/aimsTo assess changes in optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) at high altitude and in acute mountain sickness (AMS).MethodsCochrane Library, EMBASE, Google Scholar and PubMed were searched for articles published from their inception to 31st of July 2020. Outcome measures were mean changes of ONSD at high altitude and difference in ONSD change between subjects with and without AMS. Meta-regressions were conducted to investigate the relation of ONSD change to altitude and time spent at that altitude.ResultsEight studies with 248 participants comparing ONSD from sea level to high altitude, and five studies with 454 participants comparing subjects with or without AMS, were included. ONSD increased by 0.14 mm per 1000 m after adjustment for time (95% CI: 0.10 to 0.18; p<0.01). Restricted cubic spline regression revealed an almost linear relation between ONSD change and time within 2 days. ONSD was greater in subjects with AMS (mean difference=0.47; 95% CI: 0.14 to 0.80; p=0.01; I2=89.4%).ConclusionOur analysis shows that ONSD changes correlate with altitude and tend to increase in subjects with AMS. Small study number and high heterogeneity are the limitations of our study. Further large prospective studies are required to verify our findings.

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