What is altitude sickness? Is a medical condition that happens when you move to a higher altitude too quickly. The immediate result is it affecting how much oxygen you can get, causing breathing issues. In other words, your body has trouble adjusting to the difference in how much oxygen you are receiving with each breath.
What is altitude sickness? iStock-photo credit: angel_nt
Altitude sickness is rare below 8,000 feet and more common with anybody ascending quickly over 11,000 feet. Some of the symptoms of altitude sickness are dizziness, nausea, headache, insomnia, vision problems, etc.
How altitude sickness can be diagnosed is by a health care provider. And some of those factors are breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, etc.
Tests
Some of the tests to diagnose are X-rays which can check for fluid in the lungs.
An EKG can determine if you had a heart attack, in fact it is the best device to detect that. An MRI can check for any weird signs in the brain.
The best way to treat altitude sickness is to descend to sea level. Another may be to give supplemental oxygen which can help improve breathing. There are several medications that can help treat altitude sickness such as dexamethasone, nifedipine and acetazolamide.
If you ascend too far and fast, then this is what raises the risk for altitude sickness. If you do experience altitude sickness it can last for a couple of days, and you may want to avoid alcohol. Drinking alcohol could potentially make it worse.
It is important to drink plenty of fluids when experiencing altitude sickness, so you don’t dehydrate.
The more serious symptoms to watch for are shortness of breath, slurred speech, chest tightness, coordination problems, etc.
The Bottom Line is altitude sickness is a medication condition when you move to a higher altitude too quickly where it affects the amount of oxygen your body can take in.
If you have any interest in trying any of our Ethical Supplement products to help you heighten your immune system or assist you with your fitness, weight loss or health goals. You can get a discount below at this link.
https://ethicalinc.com/product/appetite-suppressant/
About Author- Obi Obadike
Sharecare Names Top 10 Fittest Cities in America – Sharecare
References
- Farzam K, Abdullah M. Acetazolamide. [Updated 2023 Jul 2]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532282/
- Ladd E, Shea KM, Bagley P, Rundell S, Auerbach PS, Pirrotta EA, Wang E, Lipman GS. Hydration Status as a Predictor of High-altitude Mountaineering Performance. Cureus. 2016 Dec 7;8(12):e918. doi: 10.7759/cureus.918. Erratum in: Cureus. 2017 Feb 16;9(2):c7. doi: 10.7759/cureus.c7. Erratum in: Cureus. 2017 Sep 8;9(9):c10. doi: 10.7759/cureus.c10. PMID: 28083462; PMCID: PMC5218879.
- Villafuerte FC, Corante N. Chronic Mountain Sickness: Clinical Aspects, Etiology, Management, and Treatment. High Alt Med Biol. 2016 Jun;17(2):61-9. doi: 10.1089/ham.2016.0031. Epub 2016 May 24. PMID: 27218284; PMCID: PMC4913504.
