Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), usually referred
to as “Altitude Sickness” is effect of assenting to high
elevations, generally above 4000 meters, faster then the body
can make the physiological changes necessary to adapt to the
reduced oxygen and air pressure at such heights.
Most people are able to adjust to high altitude, but time must
be allowed for this process. This adjustment is called
“acclimatization”. Altitude affects everyone differently, so
some individuals require more time to acclimatize, and some
cannot acclimatize at high altitudes. There is no proof of a
correlation between health, physical fitness or previous
exposure to altitude which indicate whether one person is more
capable then another of acclimatizing.
Symptoms of AMS are headache, loss of appetite, nausea,
tiredness and sleeplessness. These symptoms can develop further
into pulmonary oedema (fluid in the lungs) or cerebral oedema
(water in the brain. Either of these conditions can be fatal.
These problems are easily prevented by including specific
“acclimatization days” in the trek schedule and ascending no
faster then recommended itinerary. Most cases of altitude
sickness can be cured by descent to a lower elevation.
You should be aware of the possibility of not being able to
reach high elevations in the event that you are one of those who
do not acclimatize well, but you should have no fears if you
follow the advice of your trek leader or guide. Almost without
exception, fatal cases of altitude sickness have occurred only
among those who ignored early symptoms and kept ascending when
they should have retreated to lower elevation. |
