Altitude Sickness in High Mountain Trekking

Altitude sickness while doing high mountain trekking is a condition these athletes fear. The good news is that there are steps you can take to prevent it.

The term altitude sickness is a type of acute mountain sickness. Basically, it’s what happens when the human body lacks oxygen when you ascend a certain amount of feet above sea level.

For example, the most common symptoms of this condition are:

• Headaches
• Nausea and vomiting
• Vertigo
• Shortness of breath
• Extreme fatigue
• Decreased urine volume

Physically, what happens is that, when ascending, the conditions of the atmosphere change. At higher altitudes, atmospheric pressure and the concentration of oxygen are lower. This directly affects how you breathe.

From what we know about high mountain trekking, we know that symptoms don’t usually appear less than 6,500 feet above sea level. In addition, they’re almost constant at more than 9,000 feet above sea level. However, in addition to the height, you also have to think about how quickly you’re ascending.

High mountain trekking athletes go through altitude sickness with 60 percent mild symptoms. In other words, it’s best to learn how to handle it than be afraid of it.

The serious forms of altitude sickness

Past 11,500 feet, altitude sickness in high mountain trekking can become dangerous and even life-threatening. It’s not very common, but you should know that there are two forms that are the most serious.

One of the life-threatening conditions is high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). HAPE mortality is notorious and evolves rapidly once it starts. The symptoms are coughing blood and phlegm.

Other symptoms of HAPE are:

• Fever
• Cyanosis: bluish discoloration, especially on the lips and nails

The second serious type of altitude sickness is high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE). In this case, it doesn’t evolve as fast. There may be mild altitude sickness that changes until it intensifies, or it may take four days for symptoms to settle.

With HACE, fluid builds up in the brain, and symptoms come from compression in the swelling of the brain. Affected people have trouble walking and making fine movements with their fingers. Also, they have an intense headache, and might even have frequent hallucinations.

Factors influencing altitude sickness

There are six factors that come together to cause altitude sickness. The intensity of the symptoms and the severity depends on which ones you have, more or less. These factors are:

• Height: as you climb higher than 9,000 feet, the risk is greater.
• Stay time: the longer you’re in extreme altitude, the worse the symptoms may be.
• Ascent speed: the lack of oxygen is more evident the faster you climb.
• Effort: it depends on how hard the climb is, and how much energy you use.
• Intake: what you eat and drink during the climb makes a difference.
• Personal characteristics: each individual has their own susceptibilities and traits that will affect how they react to altitude sickness.

Prevention

There are a number of measures that you can take when hiking in the mountains to prevent altitude sickness. In certain cases, you can’t prevent it, but you can lessen the severity of the symptoms.

For example, these are the most common steps you can take:

• Gradual ascent: everyone who has been trekking for a long time knows that you can’t quickly climb high mountains. For long distances at extreme altitudes, the general guide is to climb up to 1,600 feet per day. This way, your body has time to adapt to the new conditions.
• Acclimatize: there are two ways to get used to the altitude in high mountain trekking. One is by walking slower than you normally would. By slowing down, you give your body time to adapt. The other way is to spend entire nights resting at high altitudes.
• Hydration: there’s nothing worse for altitude sickness than dehydration. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, you need to drink water and drink at least two liters a day.

• Eating carbohydrates: carbs are a quick and essential source of energy. The human body can quickly take advantage of its glucose to fuel your muscles.

Finally, it’s also important to reduce the amount of salt you take. If possible, don’t eat salt in the days leading up to your ascent. Salt can retain liquids and dehydrate you, which could make altitude sickness worse. In addition, it affects blood pressure and can worsen symptoms such as headaches.