Disease that appears in people who are above an altitude of 2.500 metres.
It is caused by reduced levels of oxygen at high altitude. Ascending too fast facilitates its onset, and neither age nor physical condition provide protection.
The most common symptoms are: headache, sleep disturbances, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, vertigo and an inability to walk in a straight line. These appear 6 to 12 hours after reaching that altitude and don't typically entail any complications. If there is severe shortness of breath, the skin turns a bluish colour, there is disorientation, stupor, low level of consciousness and phlegm with blood and pale skin, then more severe complications must be considered such as high altitude cerebral or pulmonary oedema.
Diagnosis is reached through the patient's clinical history review and a physical examination.
Mild cases tend to be resolved without any kind of treatment. In severe cases, treatment includes descending as soon as possible, administering oxygen and treating the symptoms with diuretics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Scott A Gallagher. High altitude illness: Physiology, risk factors, and general prevention. UpToDate. Abril 2015
- Hackett PH. High-altitude medicine. In: Wilderness Medicine, 6th, Auerbach PS (Eds), Elsevier, Philadelphia 2012. p.2
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- Wilson MH. The cerebral effects of ascent to high altitudes. Lancet Neurol 2009; 8:175.
- Buddha Basnyat. Enfermedad de las altitudes. Harrison. Principios de Medicina Interna, 19e. Capítulo 476e
