Altitude Sickness
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Altitude Sickness Overview
Altitude sickness (mountain sickness) is an illness that ranges from a mild headache and weariness to a life-threatening build-up of fluid in the lungs or brain at high altitudes.
Acute altitude sickness is the mildest and most common form. Because more people are traveling to areas of high elevation for skiing and mountain climbing, acute altitude sickness has become a greater public health concern. Roughly one fourth of Colorado ski area vacationers, two thirds of climbers on Mount Rainier, and half the people who fly to the Khumbu region of Nepal develop acute altitude sickness.
A more serious form of altitude sickness is high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). This illness occurs when fluid builds up within the lungs, a condition that can make breathing extremely difficult. Usually, this happens after the second night spent at a high altitude, but it can happen earlier or later. HAPE often comes on quickly. If left untreated, it can progress to respiratory collapse and ultimately to death. HAPE is the number one cause of death from altitude sickness.
Another severe form of altitude sickness is high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), in which fluid builds up within the brain. As the brain swells with fluid, the person's mental state changes. Loss of coordination, coma, and, finally, death can follow unless the problem is recognized and treated promptly.
Next: Altitude Sickness Causes »
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Altitude Sickness (Mountain Sickness)
Planning Your Health Itinerary
Health: The traveler's most valuable possession
When travelers begin to plan a trip, it is common for them to construct a careful itinerary, evaluate how much money will be needed, and to read about the area they will visit. Perhaps they picture themselves walking along ancient byways or examining grand vistas.
No one ever pictures themselves confined to the hotel for days with diarrhea, yet almost half of travelers to developing countries will end up this way if they don't take precautions. Not only will illness wreck a costly trip, but it may also put some travelers in awkward or even dangerous situations. Sometimes, diseases acquired during travel may have prolonged effects on your health or, in the extreme case, may be fatal. Simple precautions taken prior to travel can reduce your risk of illness far away from home.
- Travel to well-developed countries: Travel to tourist areas of Canada,...
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Altitude-Related Disorders »
Mountains have fascinated and attracted humankind for millennia.
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