• Last Updated on Jul 13, 2023

Table of Contents

What is acute mountain sickness?

Trekkers and adventurers mostly get AMS (acute mountain sickness). When hiking or climbing at high elevations, you will suffer from Acute Mountain Sickness. Alternatively, AMS is called high altitude pulmonary edema. Usually, people feel above 2500 meters high from sea level. Some symptoms of AMS are headaches, Dizziness, Nausea, shortness of breath, etc. Sometimes  Acute Mountain Sickness gets severe and causes danger to the brain and lungs.

What causes acute mountain sickness?

While hiking or climbing in higher elevations, oxygen levels will be decreased. Driving on high hills may not have enough time to acclimatize your body when trekking, skiing, or flying on high peaks. Pushing to hike yourself in the high Himalayas is a cause of acute mountain sickness.

What are the symptoms of acute mountain sickness?

Some symptoms of acute mountain sickness(AMS) will show between two hours of walking to the higher elevation. There is some reason for your physical body condition too.

Some Major symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness

1)    Dizziness

2)    Alight headache

3)    Muscle aches

4)    Insomnia

5)    Nausea and vomiting

6)    Irritability

7)    Loss of appetite

8)    Increasing in a heartbeat

9)    Short of breath

10)    Social withdrawal

11)    Inability to walk or lack of balance

12)    Chest congestion and coughing.

Who is at risk for acute mountain sickness?

•    quick hike or drive to high altitudes

•    physical effort while traveling to a higher altitude

•    traveling to heights above 2500 meters

•    a low red blood cell count due to anemia

•    heart or lung disease

•    taking medications like sleeping pills, narcotic pain relievers, or tranquilizers that can lower your breathing rate

•    past bouts of acute mountain sickness

If you desire to trek in high passes and you have any above conditions. Please take suggestions with your doctor on how to avoid developing  AMS.

 

How is acute altitude sickness diagnosed?

A doctor can do all these things. They'll raise concerning activities and travel history in last few days or week. Throughout inquiries, your doctor can wish to use a medical instrument to pay attention to fluid in your lungs. To know these issues doctor might order a chest X-ray.

                            

How is acute altitude sickness treated?

Treatment for acute altitude sickness varies depending on its severity. You may be able to avoid complications by simply returning to a lower altitude. Hospitalization is critical if your doctor determines that you have brain swelling or fluid in your lungs. You may receive oxygen if you've got respiratory problems.

Medications

Medications for hypoxia include:

• acetazolamide, to correct respiratory issues

• blood pressure drugs

• lung inhalers

• dexamethasone, to decrease brain swelling

• aspirin for headache relief

Other treatments

Some essential interventions are also able to treat milder conditions, including:

• returning to a lower altitude

• reducing your activity level

• resting for a minimum of each day before moving to the next altitude

• hydrating with water

How am I able to stop acute mountain sickness?

You can take some necessary preventive steps to scale back your possibilities of acute altitude sickness. Get a physical to form positive you've got no severe health problems. Review the symptoms of altitude sickness this you'll acknowledge and treat them quickly if they occur. If traveling to extreme altitudes (higher than ten 000 feet, for example), raise your doctor concerning acetazolamide, a medicine that will ease your body’s adjustment to high altitudes. Taking it the day before you climb and on the primary day or 2 of your trip will reduce your symptoms.

When ascent to higher altitudes, here square measure some tips which will assist you in avoiding developing acute mountain sickness.

 

Kusum KC

Kusum KC

I am Kusum, a content writer for one of the most reputed travel agencies"Mountain rock treks & expedition Pvt Ltd." I have a great passion for writing about new places and learning about the place at the same time. I am enrolled at the Kathmandu school of law, as an undergraduate in the faculty of law. Most recently, I have been engaged in writing web content, introducing new places to the tourist out there. 

 My passion for learning new things drives me to take on new experiences. I choose law as it was my ideal profession since I was about seven years old. I have already experienced three years of journey in law by taking law as a major in 12th standard. Besides law, It is my luck to join the tourism industry. I would love to be able to create more quality content for our readers. Being a student of law, Nepalese cultures, traditions and ethnicity is the main subject matter for my course which guides me to introduce it to our foreign visitors.