High hopes at high altitudes: pharmacotherapy for acute mountain sickness and high-altitude cerebral and pulmonary oedema

2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
AD Wright ◽  
SP Brearey ◽  
CHE Imray
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Pulmonary Oedema ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
High Altitudes ◽  
Mountain Sickness

scholarly journals Acute high-altitude sickness

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (143) ◽  
pp. 160096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Luks ◽  
Erik R. Swenson ◽  
Peter Bärtsch
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Pulmonary Oedema ◽  
Cerebral Oedema ◽  
Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Altitude Sickness ◽  
Pulmonary Vasoconstriction ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Mountain Sickness

At any point 1–5 days following ascent to altitudes ≥2500 m, individuals are at risk of developing one of three forms of acute altitude illness: acute mountain sickness, a syndrome of nonspecific symptoms including headache, lassitude, dizziness and nausea; high-altitude cerebral oedema, a potentially fatal illness characterised by ataxia, decreased consciousness and characteristic changes on magnetic resonance imaging; and high-altitude pulmonary oedema, a noncardiogenic form of pulmonary oedema resulting from excessive hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction which can be fatal if not recognised and treated promptly. This review provides detailed information about each of these important clinical entities. After reviewing the clinical features, epidemiology and current understanding of the pathophysiology of each disorder, we describe the current pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches to the prevention and treatment of these diseases.

High altitude deterioration

1954 ◽  
Vol 143 (910) ◽  
pp. 40-42 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Hard Work ◽  
High Altitudes ◽  
Appetite Loss ◽  
Prolonged Stay ◽  
Loss Of Weight ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Mountain Sickness

High altitude deterioration means a gradual diminution in man’s capacity to do work at great heights. This is associated with insomnia, lack of appetite, loss of weight and increasing lethargy. These symptoms appear after a prolonged stay above 18000 ft. and there is great individual variation. Man would deteriorate after a time at these heights even under the best con­ditions: if he is doing hard work and is subjected to many strains, mental and physical, other factors are brought to bear which will aggravate this basic state. Such factors are illness, exhaustion, starvation and dehydration. Symptoms similar to those of deterioration, but more acute in onset, appear if man goes too quickly to high altitudes without first acclimatizing. These symptoms of acute mountain sickness disappear if the subject returns to lower levels for some time. If he goes to moderate heights when acclimatizing he will be able to stay for reasonably long periods without undue trouble. Exhaustion at high altitudes is often only cured by coming down to lower levels, as above a certain height there seems to be little or no recovery.

Flying, altitude, and diving

2021 ◽  
pp. 593-608
Author(s):  
Terry Robinson ◽  
Jane Scullion
Keyword(s):  
Lung Disease ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Atmospheric Pressure ◽  
Hypobaric Hypoxia ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Gas Composition ◽  
Gaseous Exchange ◽  
High Altitudes ◽  
Mountain Sickness

Up to an altitude of approximately 30,000 feet, the composition of the gas in the air we breathe remains almost constant. Atmospheric pressure decreases exponentially with altitude. This means that although the gas composition at high altitude remains the same, the air is less dense, resulting in less available oxygen for gaseous exchange. Hypobaric hypoxia therefore develops as a result of low atmospheric atmosphere. This chapter discusses the effects of flying, high altitudes, and diving on respiration. It starts by describing atmospheric pressure and altitude, the then-acute mountain sickness (AMS) and its management. Flying with lung disease is covered, alongside fitness to fly, the use of in-flight oxygen, and general precautions to take. Diving, diving-related illnesses, and practising the sport with pre-existing lung conditions are also included.

Acetazolamide prophylaxis for acute mountain sickness

1987 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 45-47
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Oedema ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Periodic Breathing ◽  
High Altitudes ◽  
Mild Form ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Mountain Sickness

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a syndrome of nausea, headache, lethargy and anorexia which often affects even fit travellers to high altitudes. Sleep is fitful and may be disturbed by dreams and periodic breathing or apnoea. The condition usually resolves within three days of arriving at altitude, but occasionally it leads to life-threatening cerebral or pulmonary oedema. AMS is commonest above 3,000 metres (about 10,000 feet) although a mild form may occur at lower altitudes particularly if ascent has been rapid. About 4% of visitors to Pheriche in Nepal at 4,243m suffered tachypnoea and cyanosis, or headache, ataxia and disorientations; over 50% had milder symptoms.1

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document