Altitude sickness
With more and more urban Indians trying their hand (and luck) with trekking in Himalaya it was just a matter of time before ‘altitude sickness’ became the buzz-word. An oft-repeated and oft-misunderstood one. So this is an attempt to just put it together. (Notice the missing “all”).
Concentration of Oxygen Remains the same regardless of Altitude. i.e 21%. So the amount of Oxygen in the air is the same always.
Dispersion of Oxygen molecules. Now, this is the important part. With height, the air pressure decreases and hence the Oxygen molecules (and others) are more spread out. What this means is the higher we go, the lesser number of Oxygen molecules inhaled per breath. At 3500M for example, there are 40% lesser Oxygen molecules per breath.
At what height? There is no agreement on this. Estimates range from 2500-3000 M. Lets stick to 2500M then.
Symptoms The most common and the first symptom is headache. The intensity varies. This is usually accompanied by nausea, breathlessness, dizziness, fatigue and an inability to sleep properly. Have any of these 3, and you can count yourself in. But check this out: statistically 75% of us get mild sickness above 3100M. Generally, (again there is nothing concrete here) these symptoms do not interfere with normal activity and subside within 48 hours. Symptoms do get worse at night (you are not breathing as hard).
What causes altitude sickness? Of course the lesser Oxygen our body and brain is getting. But how it exactly manifests is not clearly understood. As per a report by Princeton Univ, “It is considered to be a neurological problem caused by changes in the central nervous system.” (Whatever that means). So obviously the causes are more generic rather than specific:- Rate of ascent.- Individual susceptibility
Who gets it? Absolutely anyone. Regardless of age, sex, fitness levels and even those who didn’t get it the last time around. So you cannot not be careful.
Prevention.
(Or rather – Minimization of risk) Now, this is the important part. There are two approaches:1. Acclimatization.2. Preventive medicine. (I really am not a big fan of this. How do you prevent something you don’t understand the cause of?)
Acclimatization The only way out (I think). Also translates into – Gain height gradually. Give your body a chance to adjust and it usually does. I would add two more things however:- Hydration. (Add electral and it works wonders).- Food. DO NOT skip meals.
Going anywhere above 2500M, build in a period of acclimatization. (For example: Taking the Manali-Leh route exposes you to high altitude very quickly. The better way is the gradual ascent of the Srinagar- Leh route. Avoid flying into Leh as much as possible.)When trekking, your body gets a much better chance to acclimatize but still care needs to be taken. (And its easy to plan as height of most of the campsites will already be known in advance).
Preventive medicine Diamox is the accepted medicine as of now. In short, it allows you to breathe faster so that you metabolize more oxygen. As I said, really not sure about this. Especially the practice of taking it a week in advance, etc. Too many contradictory reports and opinions. I guess its best use is to help sleep in case of a mild altitude sickness. (Check for allergies to Sulpha though).
Acute mountain sickness (AMS) Whatever we discussed till now can also be described as very mild AMS. Anything more than mild AMS is life threatening. But trekkers can chill because rarely will you go to such heights so fast, its generally the realm of Mountaineers. Just know however, in case the condition of the person is not improving, there is a realistic chance of fluids seeping out of the capillaries and clogging the lungs or brain (no clarity on how and why this happens). The only way out is – Rapid descent.
My experience From the past 7 years of taking groups to high altitudes, this is what I have noticed:- Proper acclimatization (read gradual height gain), hydration and nutrition is the best prevention. Remember the 75% stat I mentioned from a research above. With these basic precautions, not more than 10% people in my groups have ever experienced altitude sickness.- Awareness is the key. An aware person deals with the discomforts of altitude sickness in a much better way. (They don’t panic, to start with).
Sources Internet of course. Princeton has a good research on AMS. The Himalayan club also has a decent booklet on altitude sickness. But mostly through experiences of fellow trekkers.
www.connectwithhimalaya.com
Concentration of Oxygen Remains the same regardless of Altitude. i.e 21%. So the amount of Oxygen in the air is the same always.
Dispersion of Oxygen molecules. Now, this is the important part. With height, the air pressure decreases and hence the Oxygen molecules (and others) are more spread out. What this means is the higher we go, the lesser number of Oxygen molecules inhaled per breath. At 3500M for example, there are 40% lesser Oxygen molecules per breath.
At what height? There is no agreement on this. Estimates range from 2500-3000 M. Lets stick to 2500M then.
Symptoms The most common and the first symptom is headache. The intensity varies. This is usually accompanied by nausea, breathlessness, dizziness, fatigue and an inability to sleep properly. Have any of these 3, and you can count yourself in. But check this out: statistically 75% of us get mild sickness above 3100M. Generally, (again there is nothing concrete here) these symptoms do not interfere with normal activity and subside within 48 hours. Symptoms do get worse at night (you are not breathing as hard).
What causes altitude sickness? Of course the lesser Oxygen our body and brain is getting. But how it exactly manifests is not clearly understood. As per a report by Princeton Univ, “It is considered to be a neurological problem caused by changes in the central nervous system.” (Whatever that means). So obviously the causes are more generic rather than specific:- Rate of ascent.- Individual susceptibility
Who gets it? Absolutely anyone. Regardless of age, sex, fitness levels and even those who didn’t get it the last time around. So you cannot not be careful.
Prevention.
(Or rather – Minimization of risk) Now, this is the important part. There are two approaches:1. Acclimatization.2. Preventive medicine. (I really am not a big fan of this. How do you prevent something you don’t understand the cause of?)
Acclimatization The only way out (I think). Also translates into – Gain height gradually. Give your body a chance to adjust and it usually does. I would add two more things however:- Hydration. (Add electral and it works wonders).- Food. DO NOT skip meals.
Going anywhere above 2500M, build in a period of acclimatization. (For example: Taking the Manali-Leh route exposes you to high altitude very quickly. The better way is the gradual ascent of the Srinagar- Leh route. Avoid flying into Leh as much as possible.)When trekking, your body gets a much better chance to acclimatize but still care needs to be taken. (And its easy to plan as height of most of the campsites will already be known in advance).
Preventive medicine Diamox is the accepted medicine as of now. In short, it allows you to breathe faster so that you metabolize more oxygen. As I said, really not sure about this. Especially the practice of taking it a week in advance, etc. Too many contradictory reports and opinions. I guess its best use is to help sleep in case of a mild altitude sickness. (Check for allergies to Sulpha though).
Acute mountain sickness (AMS) Whatever we discussed till now can also be described as very mild AMS. Anything more than mild AMS is life threatening. But trekkers can chill because rarely will you go to such heights so fast, its generally the realm of Mountaineers. Just know however, in case the condition of the person is not improving, there is a realistic chance of fluids seeping out of the capillaries and clogging the lungs or brain (no clarity on how and why this happens). The only way out is – Rapid descent.
My experience From the past 7 years of taking groups to high altitudes, this is what I have noticed:- Proper acclimatization (read gradual height gain), hydration and nutrition is the best prevention. Remember the 75% stat I mentioned from a research above. With these basic precautions, not more than 10% people in my groups have ever experienced altitude sickness.- Awareness is the key. An aware person deals with the discomforts of altitude sickness in a much better way. (They don’t panic, to start with).
Sources Internet of course. Princeton has a good research on AMS. The Himalayan club also has a decent booklet on altitude sickness. But mostly through experiences of fellow trekkers.
www.connectwithhimalaya.com
No comments have been added yet.
